Evangelion Hiro
by Greensword101
Summary: Hiro Hamada's life is turned upside down by just a few words: "Your name is Shinji Ikari and I am your father." Now he's stuck in the Angel War to prevent Third Impact with the fiery Asuka and the cool, mysterious Rei. This is a problem that he'll have to look at from a different angle... Art by Sebatticus on Tumblr.
1. Opening Notes

**In the event that there is more than this chapter, feel free to skip it if you want. This is just some notes about why I am doing this story in the first place and I highly recommend that everyone reads this first.**

 **Author's Note:** Let me first say that I haven't found any Big Hero 6/Neon Genesis crossover fics on this site aside from one story that involved Shinji and Aunt Cass getting together (Yeah…didn't like that story for _obvious_ reasons, mostly a 21 year-old Shinji dating a woman described as being almost 40 and her nephews approving of it) and wanted to rectify it.

No, I'm not making a Shinji/Cass fic. This is something different.

Also, this is one of two crossover ideas (well, maybe three) that I had and wanted to do for quite some time. So you people might want to look out for them in the future... :)

What inspired me to do this? Well, aside from the fact that no one else has done it before, I kept coming across summaries for Neon Genesis fics that can be boiled down to "What if Shinji was raised by _this_ character and became a badass mother*cker by the time that his father contacted him?" I honestly find that notion ridiculous since canonically speaking, Shinji maintains the highest kill count among the Angels. Pretty sure that on its own would prove something.

Anyways, I always found it odd that in an attempt to "fix" Shinji's character, the writers take away the aspects of his personality that made him Shinji to begin with and therefore, a major part of the series itself. His love/hate relationship with his father, his struggle to connect to others (a.k.a. the Hedgehog's Dilemma), his confidence issues, and his self-loathing. While writers keep the first one intact, they have him practically become a people person who is able to defrost the biggest of ice queens and courts them. Sorry, but Asuka is gonna need more than just a few weeks to overcome a lifelong trauma of connecting with others.

So, I thought that if I wanted to do an actual Neon Genesis fic (aside from one shots), I ought to keep his character consistent. In terms of doing a crossover and using the "What if Shinji was raised by…?" bit, I wanted it to make sense. So, partly thanks to _Promises of Wandering Hero_ with the concept of Character X being raised as Character Y, I figured that in order to make the concept just mentioned work, I would need Shinji to become a character with similar characteristics and appearances to himself.

That's where Hiro comes in. Hiro might be smart and a superhero, but many people have pointed out that he is a pretty insecure kid. I mean, prior to the movie, his only friends were most likely his older brother and their cat.

Also of note is that Big Hero 6 is a world of healing, contrasting with Neon Genesis, which is a world of pain and struggles. Note that I don't envision this as a Fix Fic. I simply want to tell a story and make sure that its good.

Also, also, the strange fact that people are quick to call Shinji a pussy even though he was abandoned by his father as a toddler, emotionally manipulated by the same man, gets no respect for his work as a pilot despite doing the most in fighting the Angels, gets emotionally and sometimes physically abused by Asuka – she even _throws_ him out of his room when she moves in in the 10th episode – and virtually had no real support system to speak of. Oh, and he was forced to kill the only person who ever said to him "I love you."

Meanwhile, Hiro loses his brother and people are nothing but sympathetic towards him and never call him a pussy or want him to get over the loss. Some fics even take his Woobie status up to an eleven in stories which I find ridiculous.

The point being: Both characters have similar traits to one another, yet Shinji gets dealt a short hand by fans. That's just not fair. And its not fair that Shinji's canonical personality is considered pathetic even though he ultimately gives humanity a second chance at the end of the series.

In case this hasn't been apparent yet: potential spoilers for Neon Genesis fans since I am virtually going through the story in this fic my own way.

Additional inspiration for other aspects came from the Neon Genesis Evangelion fics listed below:

 _Once More, With Feeling_ by **Crazy-88**

 _Neon Metathesis Evangelion_ by **Octo8**

 _Kyrie Elesion_ by **Da Games Elite**

 _Mobile Fighter Evangelion_ by **Ultra Sonic 007**

Sorry for the long AN, just had to get this all out there without it being ignored in favor of the first chapter. This is meant to explain my motives for this story. And I repeat, this is NOT a fix fic. This is simply a story that I want to tell. Who knows, though? Maybe it'll end with _Shinji_ being the 17th Angel all along and Kaworu will simply propose to him to save the world. XD

Or not. I'm not telling much here :)

Enjoy!


	2. Episode 1: The Reunion

**Episode 1**

 **The** **Reunion**

Rei was used to flying. She had made herself familiar with the destinations she was taken to, whenever the Commander needed her to accompany him. The helicopter made everything else seem so small the higher they rose. She should have felt exhilaration from this, but it made no difference from being on the ground. At least it brought them places more quickly.

But she wished to have stayed back at headquarters, where she was close to her EVA. She felt vulnerable without it, her connection to humanity, her lifeline, her soul. She clung to the Commander as a lifeline the same way she clung to her EVA.

But it didn't matter what Rei thought. If she was ordered to do anything, she would do it. For example, if the Commander handed her a gun and told her,

– "Put the gun in your mouth and pull the trigger" –

– then of course, she would do it. Rei would welcome death with her arms open wide.

Nonetheless, she never questioned the Commander when he requested her company on board of a plane. This was a new experience. She had never set foot on a plane before. Rei knew that they would be leaving Tokyo-3 if they would be travelling by plane, but she had no intention of asking. She trusted that the Commander had his reasons.

She looked out the window during the takeoff and watched as the world became smaller and smaller than it was when she was riding a helicopter. She watched as they soared above the clouds, everything suddenly moving to a standstill.

"How are your classes going, Rei?" The Commander asked in the seat adjacent to her.

"They are fine," Rei said simply. _The instructor is repetitive and the information he provides is inaccurate._

"Good," the Commander nodded, "I trust there are no issues in your studies?"

"None," Rei answered. _The concepts have no real meaning and are too simplistic at times. I also do not expect to apply the knowledge in the distant future._

"Good."

"May I ask where our destination is, Commander?" She asked. _If only to understand my worth on this mission. If only to see how I am necessary._

"America," he said, not missing a beat.

"Understood."

No more words were exchanged for the rest of the flight. Minutes turned to hours and light turned to dark. When Rei felt tired, she closed her eyes and rested, listening to the roar of the plane's engine. When she was not tired, she would look out the window, watching the clouds drift along like waves on the ocean. The Commander kept himself busy looking through documents. A picture caught Rei's eye for a moment, before she turned away with disinterest. A photo of a boy. Around her age. Was this the picture of the Third Child?

Day turned to night when they landed on a private runway. Rei followed the Commander, staying a few feet away and allowed him to talk to the woman that had accompanied them on the trip. Captain Katsuragi looked tired from the flight, but she was still nodding and responding when necessary. Rei was unsure of what to make of Captain Katsuragi's presence; on one hand, she was relatively new to NERV and seemed to have a familiar bond with Doctor Akagi. On the other hand, she was simply as unimportant and irrelevant to Rei in regard to human interaction.

She listened as they spoke, piecing together a story through dialect.

"– located in San Fransokyo, his address is known –"

Commander.

"– looking forward to meeting him, he looks pretty cute –"

Captain Katsuragi.

"– waste no time, we are running on a schedule –"

Commander.

"– is Rei's role to make first contact with the Third Child?"

Captain Katsuragi. With a question demanding clarity on the circumstances. One that Rei never considered actually asking, relying only on trust that all would be known in due time. It had certainly paid off in the end.

Now the attention would be on Rei, as the subject of the matter. The Commander looked at her with a blank expression. Perhaps she would be briefed on her role at this point? Whatever information given would be useful for her and further ensure in the success of the task at hand.

"Correct. And there is the matter of keeping an eye on her in case something happens. The First Child cannot be left alone at this time."

Sabotage. An accident. Someone on the inside strangling her. Or shooting her. Or so many other possibilities, but she did not feel fear or dread. It would not matter what happened to her, they would find another. But that did not mean that the Commander still considered it a waste if they were not careful. And she considered that to be a small blessing.

A limousine was waiting for them outside of the airport, with leather seating and shaded windows. Captain Katsuragi attempted to engage Rei in dialect, though she always answered with the shortest answer possible, not understanding the purpose behind the Captain's intentions. Within a few minutes of trying, Captain Katsuragi looked at the Commander with an open mouth, before closing it and proceeded to look out the window. Good for her, the Commander was not fond of conversation unless absolutely necessary.

He had instilled that ideal within Rei, after all.

Within half an hour, they arrived at a large hotel, brightly-lit, with people coming in and out. Rei examined the surroundings, blinking at the bright lights and sounds all around her. It felt like Tokyo-3, and yet, at the same time, she knew it was different. Tokyo-3 wasn't so cramped in appearance or space. It was as if the buildings blended together and formed an endless wall of concrete. There was much more color, as well. The place felt…alive.

"Like we never left Japan," Captain Katsuragi smiled, from Rei's left, also examining the surroundings with greater interest. She turned to Rei, "How well can you speak English?"

"Fluently," Rei said.

"That's good," Captain Katsuragi nodded.

Registration at the front desk inside took no less than two minutes, once the Commander gave his name. Three keys were handed out, one of them went into the hands of Captain Katsuragi, another into Rei's.

"I believe this is where we shall be parting, for now, Captain," the Commander said as Captain Katsuragi looked at the key in her hand, "Report to the main lobby at oh-eight-hundred."

"Understood," Captain Katsuragi nodded and walked off.

Rei felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. The Commander looked at her through his square glasses with a softer expression.

"Let's get our things settled into our rooms first, then we can get something to eat afterwards."

Rei nodded, her expression softening a little.

00

The bedding was softer than what Rei was familiar with back in Tokyo-3. No noises of construction or machinery or sound of any kind broke through the walls. The walls were a pale yellow and the floor was smooth as glass.

Rei considered it the first night she ever had difficulty sleeping.

She had no familiar scenery, no sounds to lull her to sleep. Not even the moon outside her window gave much support. It was as though it were not _her_ moon. Somehow, though, she managed to obtain some sense of rest before the sun rose and cleaned herself as quickly as she could to leave the dreadful room behind.

Too bright. Too…colorful. Too foreign. Even the doors were different here compared to Tokyo-3.

She wandered through the hallways, noticing people coming in and out of doors, barely paying notice to one another. No one noticed Rei, and she was fine with that. She did not know where the Commander's room was, and she would not bother trying to find it. A waste of time and energy. He might not have woken up, yet. Instead, she looked for the nearest elevator, having found herself lost far too quickly in the hallway.

"Excuse me, miss? Are you alright?"

Rei stopped walking and looked behind her. A woman, stout and dressed in a uniform of black and deep blue, pushing some cart filled with cleaning supplies. The woman flinched when Rei looked her directly in the eyes.

"I've lost my way," she said quietly.

"…o-oh, well…the n-nearest elevator is just down the end of the hallway," the woman pointed in the direction Rei was walking.

 _I will not be lost for long,_ Rei thought. She looked away and continued walking.

"Um…h-have a nice day, miss!" The woman called from behind. Rei ignored her and kept walking until she saw the elevator that the woman had mentioned. She walked up to it and looked at the panel to its left, then pressed the down arrow and waited until the doors slid open. As she walked in, Rei noted that it was designed differently than the elevators back in Tokyo-3. Smaller. Like a cramped metal box. She turned around and looked at the panel inside of the elevator now, pressed the **G** button to bring her to the ground floor.

"WAIT!" Captain Katsuragi's voice came from a distance, "HOLD THAT ELEVATOR!"

Rei stared as Captain Katsuragi rushed as fast as she could, ignoring heads sticking out of doors behind her now glaring, placing a hand inside the elevator before it completely closed.

"Captain," Rei greeted quietly.

"You…you…you're up…early…huh?" Captain Katsuragi panted, pulling herself in right as the door closed completely. Rei felt the elevator moving a moment later, going at a snail's pace. Captain Katsuragi looked into Rei's eyes and continued, "You look _beat_."

Rei stared at her.

Captain Katsuragi rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled weakly, her face scrunched in embarrassment, "I mean, you look exhausted."

"I couldn't sleep," Rei replied plainly.

"Really? I slept pretty good!" Captain Katsuragi stopped rubbing the back of her neck and stood upright, though the smile on her face didn't go away, "Did you still have a nice evening?"

"It was…interesting," Rei said simply.

There was no other way to describe the city. Not only was it brighter than Tokyo-3, but clearly larger as well. Larger and noisier in the wrong meanings. People chatting non-stop, creating a _buzzing!_ sound that made hearing less comprehensible.

Exploring was not something Rei considered an activity, not since…

… _hands clamped around the neck…_

…not since…something. She couldn't recall _what_.

Walking to the nearest restaurant with the Commander introduced her to those new annoyances. The only comfort was seeing that the Commander was just as _dis_ comforted by the noise as well. She barely remembered what was on her plate, eating was simply a game to her. Important, but not a pass time. Meanwhile, the Commander feasted on a seared steak, red juices pooling out as the meat was cut into again and again. One time, not so long ago, she was offered a piece to eat during one of her shared meals with the Commander but found the flavor dissatisfying and the meat too fleshy.

She still chewed and swallowed it, because she knew the Commander would have been upset with her if she rejected what was being offered to her.

A small part of her hoped that it would have made him disappointed enough to replace her.

"Looking forward to meeting the Third Child?" Captain Katsuragi asked.

"It does not matter," Rei answered, her eyes directly staring at the door, waiting for it to open, "Our job is to locate and retrieve him. Nothing more."

"Yeah, I guess," Captain Katsuragi leaned against a wall and sighed, "NERV is situated all over the globe, we have agents all over the place."

"We do," Rei nodded.

"I guess I'm just surprised we're coming all the way over here for the Third Child personally," Captain Katsuragi added. Right as she said this, the movement stopped, and the door slid open. Rei walked out without a backward glance.

"Have a good morning, Rei!" Captain Katsuragi called out to her.

 **(0-0)**

 _San Franksokyo Institute of Technology_ , the sign said.

Rei stared at the architecture for a moment before following the Commander and Captain Katsuragi towards the glass-paned building within proximity. People were coming in and out of the area, the interior was packed with people. They were right in front of the entrance when the Commander cleared his throat,

"Rei," he held up a picture of a boy. Messy black hair, brown eyes, and fair skin. Rei noticed that there was a gap between his front teeth. The Commander handed the picture to her, "Memorize this face. This is the Third Child and he supposed to be presenting tonight at this university's showcase. Find him and notify me with the earpiece you were given in the car. You are to also consider these your orders, as well, Captain. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Captain Katsuragi nodded minutely, "Might I ask how you knew the Third would be here?"

"I had been kept updated on his activities," the Commander explained simply, "Dismissed."

The noise inside bothered Rei. She was beginning to regret coming altogether. But it was for the Commander. The Commander insisted on her assistance and she would not fail him. Surrounding her were stalls and areas dedicated to specific technological machinery. Rei did not care for any of it, it was a distraction from her goal. She looked into faces, trying to identify the boy in the picture.

 _Perhaps security should have been accompanying us instead_ , Rei thought, _it is impossible to find one boy in a large crowd with only three people._

She would not be able to find one boy by herself. It was not as if he were going to stroll right in front of him and –

Black hair. _Messy_ black hair. Face like the one in the picture. Surrounded by several adults, pushing trash barrels towards the front of the auditorium.

For the first time in her life, Rei was unable to process what she was seeing or thinking. A contrived coincidence? Perhaps that was the case, but it did not stop her from staring with an open mouth.

What would Captain Katsuragi be saying right now if she saw this?

She waited until they went past her and began to follow them, pressing into her earpiece.

"I have located the Third Child," Rei said above the noise.

"Excellent," the Commander's voice, "Maintain visual contact until further notice."

"Yes, sir," Rei nodded and pressed against the earpiece again, turning it off, watching the Third Child and his five companions interact.

"A lot of sweet tech here today," the tall boy said as he looked around. He nudged the Third Child next to him gently, "How're you feeling?"

The Third Child had a smug grin on his face as he answered in a voice deepening from the early stages of pubescent growth, "You're talking to an ex-Bot Fighter. Takes a lot more than this to rattle me."

"Yep, he's nervous," a short girl with dark hair streaked with purple said bluntly.

The boy cringed and looked at the girl with a defensive look on his face.

"Oh," a tall girl with glasses and long hair looked at the boy with sympathy.

"You have nothing to fear, little fellow," a young man with a green beanie leaned in to the boy's face.

"He's so tense," the tall girl added, nodding to herself.

"N-no I'm not!" The Third Child stammered, looking back and forth between the others around him.

 _How strange,_ Rei thought, _the Third is panicking, but the others aren't showing malicious intentions. He becomes discomforted by the words, yet they seek to do what? What is it they are trying to accomplish?_

"Relax, Hiro, your tech is _amazing!_ " The tall girl said brightly. She turned to the other, shorter girl with short hair and a purple streak on the front, "Tell him, Go Go!"

"Stop whining, woman up," The woman called Go Go said briskly.

Rei moved more closely, brushing past passersby and keeping her gaze intently on the boy.

"I'm _fine!_ " The Third Child insisted, but the smugness of his posture and voice were gone. His eyes were darting back and forth, as if expecting an unknown enemy to lunge out of nowhere and strike.

 _His posture is merely encouraging the words of encouragement_ , Rei observed. _They exposed his 'act', but it appears to be allowing them to help him in some way. I wonder if this is a common tactic among peers._

The black man started speaking as well with a gentle smile so much unlike the Commander's, reminiscent of Captain Katsuragi on some level, not changing his posture to talk to the boy, "Whattaya need, little man? Deodorant? Breath mint? Fresh pair of underpants?"

"Underpants?" Go Go, scoffed, "You need serious help."

"I come prepared," the black man said without missing a beat.

"I haven't done my laundry in six months," the last man with long, light-brown hair said, sitting on top of the stage.

Rei stared, her eyes widening slightly.

 _What._

"One pair lasted me four days," he continued proudly, "I go front, I go back, I go inside and out, _then_ , I go front and back."

The black man covered his mouth and gagged. Everyone else stared at him with disgust, except for the capped-man, who looked intently at the light-brown haired man. Rei supposed it had to do with sanitation issues. When her clothing began to smell, she would wash it to make the odor go away. The capped-man's reaction was peculiar; why wasn't he as disgusted as his peers? Shouldn't the unsanitary man's attitude be isolating him instead of drawing people in?

"Wow, that is both disgusting and awesome," the capped-man smiled.

"Don't. Encourage him," Go Go glared at the capped-man, who just smiled.

"It's _called_ ," the light-brown haired man emphasized, leaning in as he spoke, "recycling."

The loudspeakers burst to life, the noise echoed across the building,

" _Next presenter: Hiro Hamada."_

The tall girl held up her phone and the others crowded around the small boy. Rei saw the Commander several meters away. He caught her eye and nodded towards himself. Rei nodded once and began to walk towards him

Just as Rei began walking towards the Commander, she turned to look at the Third Child one last time, only to find that he was looking right back at her with wide eyes and an open mouth, making him appear carp-like.

 **(0-0)**

Honey Lemon insisted on a group photo – Hiro didn't consider it to be his best, though – and then the group minus his brother, Tadashi, set the trash bins up across the Showcase Hall.

He felt his stomach churning, like worms were crawling inside of him and gnawing at his worry. Hiro couldn't believe that he was going to try applying to "Nerd School," mocking it not even a month ago. The technology, the people, the teachers. Maybe…

Maybe it was worth giving school another chance. If anything, at least he'd be closer to his brother during the day.

He was just beginning to make his way up the stage when he saw a girl looking at him. On most days, Hiro would have considered that extraordinary, as he hadn't had many interactions with girls his age. Especially since she was only a few feet away from him. But looking at her made Hiro's stomach churn even more.

Her skin was pale, an alabaster hue, like she was cut from marble. Her eyes were a bright brown – or were they a pale-red like rubies – that seemed so vibrant, and yet, lifeless at the same time. Hiro could barely focus on the hair when he noticed it. Pale blue, like moonlight in those fairy tales that used to lull him to sleep as a child. The girl stared at him with a kind of cool indifference, though her eyebrows weren't narrowed. And then she turned her head away and continued walking.

Hiro let out a breath he had no idea he was holding and stumbled backwards a little. Maybe that was what made Hiro's stomach churn; between the girl's appearance and her staring, she seemed to have been viewing him like a predator watching its prey.

"Hiro, you doing okay?" Tadashi shook his shoulder gently. Hiro looked at him, then back to where the girl was – but she had already vanished into the crowd.

"Hiro?"

"…I thought I saw someone just now," Hiro muttered, "A…a girl."

Yes, that must have been it. He was letting his stress get the better of him and mock him in the form of hallucinations.

"What'd she look like?" Tadashi asked, a little curiously.

Hiro looked at the stage and shook his head, "I-I'll tell you later."

"You're gonna do _great_ , Hiro!" His brother smiled. Hiro couldn't help but smile back, all the uneasiness from moments before melting away.

Hiro rummaged through his pockets, making sure what he needed was still there. Good. He got up onto the stage and into the spotlight, taking a hold of the microphone positioned for him from its stand. He looked at the small crowd with Tadashi, his friends, and an older woman with brown hair, Aunt Cass among them. Nearby was an older-looking man with greying hair and a sweater vest, Professor Callaghan, with a clipboard in his hand and several other people that also had clipboards on hand. He also noticed a chubby man that looked bored beyond belief, a few women and… _that blue-haired girl!_

For a moment, Hiro couldn't breathe. He wasn't imagining the girl! It wasn't his nerves getting the better of him, after all!

"H-hi," Hiro mumbled into the microphone, "My name is Hi –"

 _Squeaaaaaaaaaaaaal!_

He pulled away from the microphone for a moment as it amplified the background noise, noticing everyone wincing as well. The blue-haired girl barely even flinched, though…

His insides went chilly.

"S-sorry," Hiro tried again, keeping distance between the microphone and his lips, "My name is…Hiro Hamada, and…"

He felt himself curling into himself, like a hedgehog. He gripped the microphone tightly as his hands grew colder.

"And…I've been working on something that I think is…pretty cool," Hiro smiled weakly. He reached into the pocket on his left before speaking into the microphone again, "I hope you like it."

He pulled out a metallic headband and placed it on, feeling a light _hum!_ as it activated. He reached into his pocket again and pulled out something small and black. Flexible, the size of a thumbtack, it resembled a passing resemblance to a bishop piece from chess.

"This," Hiro held it up to the light, "is a microbot…"

 _Move_ , he thought. No, he _ordered_. The microbot twitched a few times. The blue-haired girl stared. And so did everyone else, but there were signs of confusion and uninterest. The fat man slowly walked away, but Hiro saw Go Go glaring at him as he left. He felt his heart sink and the blood from his face draining until he looked into Tadashi's eyes.

" _Breathe_ ," he mouthed.

Hiro took a deep breath and started again, "It doesn't look like much, but when it hooks up to its buddies…"

Nearby, he could hear the bins shaking dramatically.

 **(0-0)**

What was the rustling sound from behind? She turned around and saw – _Oh my God! BUGS! LOTS OF BUGS! RUN FOR YOUR LI – Wait a minute…_ \- a stream of black sliding across the floor. She followed the trail until it reached a stage where a young boy was presenting. She blinked and squinted, recognizing the face from the picture. Misato wandered over and found herself sandwiched in a large crowd forming around the stage. And from the sounds of it, the rest of the auditorium seemed to be squeezing together to get a closer look.

There was more than one trail of black climbing up the stage, forming a black mass of…whatever those _things_ were. Beside the large mass was a boy… _from the picture! It was the Third Child!_

Misato pressed into her earpiece, "Commander –"

"Rei just informed me that she located the Third," a deep voice spoke from behind.

"AH!" Misato jumped and turned around, immediately standing straighter at the sight of the Commander's grim…well, that was actually a normal thing to see, actually. But she didn't want to think her reaction put him in a foul mood.

On the other hand, he never seemed to be happy to begin with…

"Now what, sir?" Misato kept her voice from shaking, from either embarrassment or excitement at what the Third Child was doing on the stage.

"We observe," the Commander said coolly and walked towards the crowd forming before the Third Child. He seemed to make people in front of him separate, like Moses parting the Red Sea. Whatever effect he seemed to have, Misato didn't have such luck and couldn't force her way closer.

 _Ritsuko wouldn't want to miss this,_ Misato decided, pulling out her camera and began recording. Her grin widened as she got a good look at the kid. His posture was nonchalant, confident, and controlled, holding some small piece that she assumed was also the same material in the mass forming next to him.

"– things get a little interesting," the boy spoke, most likely in the middle of a speech. He let go of the small piece in his hand and it _flew_ right into the mass that now formed a cube. It connected, and the shape rippled like a pebble hitting water.

"They're controlled by _this_ ," the boy lifted the headband he was wearing off his head and the black form collapsed into a mound, "neurotransmitter. I think it, and they do it."

He placed the headband – _no, neurotransmitter_ – back onto his head and the mound began to shift and form a large hand that waved to the crowd. Misato gave a small wave back, feeling childish and awed and befuddled all at once. The hand started shifting again, coiling around like a snake as the boy walked behind it,

"The uses for microbots are _limitless_ : rescuing, disaster work, construction. What would take people working together for months or years –"

Suddenly, Misato noticed that the microbots _weren't_ just looking impressive and were putting together large pieces. Moments later, they cleared away to reveal a miniature tower with the boy standing on top of it.

"– can now be finished by one person!" The boy continued triumphantly. The crowd began to cheer; clapping, whistling, cries of adoration. Misato felt herself smiling in pride, catching a glimpse of the Commander in the crowd ahead.

She blinked. Misato could have sworn that she saw a glimpse of a smile on his face. A flash of pride that was quickly snuffed out like a candle the moment the Commander's eyes locked with hers. Misato looked away from him.

"And _that's_ just the beginning. How about…transportation?"

The cheering slowly devolved into panic and Misato looked up just in time to see the boy step off the platform he was standing on and saw the microbots rise to form a pathway for him to walk on. She looked at her camera, thankful that it was still recording as the boy continued to walk while the microbots made more steps for him to stand on.

"Microbots can move anything, anywhere with ease."

The microbots then latched themselves onto the overhead lights, almost sagging like a hammock. Then she saw the boy dangle upside down, staring down at everyone like a spider from its freshly-spun web, looking for prey to wander through.

And that was when Misato noticed that he was staring at _her_. Several feet from her face. Bold and daring.

"Think this would let you get to work faster?" He smirked.

"Nothing could beat _my_ car!" Misato declared triumphantly without missing a beat. This drew out plenty of laughter from the audience.

The boy smiled and continued,

"If you can think it, the microbots can do it. The only limit is your imagination."

He continued dangling upside down, giving a tall boy in a hat a high five without stopping before turning himself right-side up. The microbots formed a staircase, that he walked down, stepping back onto the stage and raised a fist in the air, "MICROBOTS!"

Misato nearly became deaf from the cheering and applause, her voice becoming hoarse from her own addition of awe. She caught sight of the Commander looking at her and stopped, her body stiff and waiting for orders. He nodded over towards where the boy was and began to ease his way through the crowd. Not even halfway across the room, Misato noticed that a blonde-haired man in a business suit walking in the same direction.

Somehow, the Commander met the man halfway and whispered something into his ear that made the man pale and scamper away. Behind him, a short-haired woman with glasses followed close behind, crying out "Mr. Krei, slow down!" as she passed Misato.

 **(0-0)**

Hiro barely managed to get in a fist bump in with Tadashi before he was surrounded by the others.

"You were amazing, Hiro!" Honey Lemon cheered as she hugged him close. Hiro couldn't hide the blush blooming on his face, the closeness of a girl getting to him.

"Not bad, kid," Go Go grinned.

Hiro blushed even further and looked down, trying not to show how much the praise and the excitement was getting to him a little.

"How do you feel?" Wasabi asked gently.

Hiro took a deep breath and thought for a few moments. He grinned, "Well, you'll be happy to know that I _don't_ need that fresh pair of underpants you promised."

Wasabi stammered while everyone else laughed. Then Go Go ruffled his dreadlocks and the stammering stopped. Hiro tried not to let his thoughts wander too far at the light tinge of red now on Wasabi's cheeks.

He was suddenly engulfed in another hug and briefly wondered if Fred was joking about the whole 'not cleaning clothes for months' bit or if he just had a lot of shirts and pants of the exact same kind.

The second thought lead to theories that Hiro didn't really care to explore at the moment.

"That was truly impressive, Hiro," Hiro was released from the hug and had to stop himself from stammering. Professor Callaghan was standing before him looking at him like a proud father.

Hiro briefly wondered where that thought had come from before deciding not to worry about it.

"Thank you, sir," Hiro rubbed the back of his neck, "I-I almost thought I wouldn't get it done in time."

"Yes," Callaghan nodded, reaching into his pocket and holding out an envelope, "Well –"

He stopped and frowned. Hiro quickly noticed that a small smattering of applause behind. He looked behind Callaghan and sighed. No, he huffed. How often was he going to keep seeing the blue-haired girl?

The only comfort he had was that she wasn't alone. Well, one of two, the second comfort was the young woman with the dark hair that he thought was purple for a moment – _why did I think it was purple? Was it the lighting? –_ was by the girl's side. Didn't she make a joke during his demonstration a moment ago?

"Am I going to see you _everywhere_ I go?" He snapped at the girl, realizing a moment too late that he had said it out loud. Hiro could feel his brother stiffen beside him. The woman immediately stopped clapping and looked apologetic. Did she think Hiro was referring to her and not the girl?

To the girl's right was an older man with a scruffy beard, brown hair cut short, matching blue coat and pants with a red shirt underneath, and square glasses. Hiro couldn't help but pay close attention to the man more than the woman or girl. His posture was rigid, uncompromising, and his gaze was cold and calculating. He barely even put any attempt into smiling, too. And yet, the man was staring intensely into Hiro's eyes, as if trying to burn them with his gaze.

"Quite the demonstration you gave, young man," the man said in a deep, oily voice.

"Uh, thank…you?" Hiro said nervously. He couldn't stop staring at the man, trying to figure out what it was about the man that was making his skin crawl.

The woman seemed to have noticed it and spoke up, "We were really impressed with your invention. We were actually hoping to have a word with you."

"About selling?" Hiro raised an eyebrow. He felt a strong arm clamp onto his shoulder and pull him back. He looked up and saw Tadashi's face, stony and rigid, his eyes staring at the older man in front of them.

"Sorry, but we're not interested," Tadashi said coldly.

The man smiled. Or to Hiro's perception, was _attempting_ to smile and appeared to be sneering. When he spoke, there was hint of amusement in his voice, "Is that any way to talk to your uncle, Tadashi?"

"Uncle?" Hiro echoed the word, like it was a foreign word.

"Uncle?" Callaghan asked. He looked at Tadashi, "You never told me you had an uncle."

"Not now, Professor," Tadashi whispered harshly and then spoke up, "Sorry to cut this short, but it's been a long night and we _really_ need to get going. AUNT CASS?"

"Over here!" Hiro saw Aunt Cass waving a distance away, then stopping when she saw the older man. Her face turned pale.

"Get the truck ready!" Tadashi called out to her.

"He's our uncle?" Hiro asked. From the corner of his eye, he saw Go Go, Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Fred taking the bins with them. He could have sworn that Go Go was glaring at the man like a rabid animal. He unconsciously felt the front of his jacket pockets, sighing in relief when his neurotransmitter was still there.

"Gendo Ikari," the man said, "Commander of NERV."

Gendo Ikari didn't extend his arm out for a handshake like Hiro thought he would have. Of course, his older brother was currently trying to drag him away from the man claiming to be their uncle, which might have been the reason.

"Please," the woman raised her arms out peacefully, "We're not here to fight. We just want to talk to Shinji."

"Shinji?" Hiro looked behind, trying to see if there was someone behind him that was being stared at. The woman couldn't have been talking about _him_ , right?

"Oh," the woman blinked, "I forgot you weren't using that name."

" _Using?!_ " Hiro repeated.

"Katsuragi, you're not helping," Gendo snapped.

"Yes, sir," Katsuragi nodded quietly, bowing her head.

"Come on, Hiro," Tadashi began pushing him forward, past Gendo, "Don't make me carry you firefighter style."

Hiro pulled away and spun around to face his brother, his glare intense, "What's going on?"

He pointed to Gendo, "Why didn't you tell me we had an uncle? Why is he freaking you out?"

Then he pointed at Katsuragi, "And why did she call me Shinji?"

"And why is your hair blue?" Fred asked the blue haired girl.

"FRED!" Everyone except for Gendo, Katsuragi and the girl shouted.

"Okay," Hiro agreed a moment later, "He has a point. Why _is_ your hair blue?"

"Hiro," Tadashi's face faltered, his voice calm and level compared to panic several moments ago, "I'll explain at home. I promise."

"About the hair or about the creepy uncle I never heard of before now?"

"The creepy uncle," Tadashi said automatically.

" _No_ ," Hiro snapped, "I want to know _now!_ "

Hiro _did_ want to know, even if he could feel his heart pounding at his chest and his body was as cold as ice. He _had_ to know, or the suspense would kill him.

Gendo decided to cut to the chase and said three words that Hiro wasn't expecting to hear.

"Your real name is Shinji Ikari and I'm your father."

 **(0-0)**

 _Screen flashes to black._

 **Episode 1**

 **The Reunion**

 _To be continued…_

 **(0-0)**

 **Author's Note:** I really hate using dialogue from canon and applying them into fics, because it is no better than copying and pasting the script. But it was needed, unfortunately, because the true 'nail' was not introduced until _after_ Krei was sent scurrying. Well, except for that little joke where Hiro interacts with Misato for a moment during his presentation.

I almost had Misato jokingly ask Gendo if Rei was supposed to 'woo the poor kid', but then I realized that she wouldn't goof off on duty. The goofy side of her is meant to be private among both friends and penguins alike.

Go Club Penguins!

Rei, I believe, wouldn't be so descriptive in details, only thinking in broad terms. My rule of thumb for POVs is to leave describing _every_ detail of an area to newcomers, instead of having a character describe the room they lived in for years unless it is relevant, because…why would someone be giving visual description to something they have been familiar with for years?

And you want to know what the hardest part was, aside from the meeting at the end? Making sure Gendo didn't sound like a pedophile around Rei. Or that Rei was recuperating that creepiness. I had to make sure Rei was at the very least, fond and respectful of Gendo while making sure _he_ wasn't going to do anything to her. Damn you, Gainax and Anno, for making those two so complex!

Big shout out to Tumblr artist, **Sebatticus** , for commissioning the cover art for this fanfic based on what I described to them as Rei and Hiro meeting for the first time. I loved her version so much I just rewrote that little scene so it matched the art. Thank you so much again, **Sebatticus** , for doing that commission for me!

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!


	3. Episode 1: Who are you?

**Crab (Guest):** Yes, Shinji and Hiro both have different hair colors, but I'm basing it on Shinji's hair color in the manga, which was black. Also, it is a 25% chance of having a black-haired kid if both parents are brown-haired. Its tricky to explain the genetics, but if two parents have the same hair color, then other hair colors are considered recessive like having red or blonde hair.

Please just give this fic a chance, I would be disappointed and hurt that I lose readers over minor things _again_ like I did in _Shock._ Don't forget about reviewing this, please.

 **Author's Note:** Also wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorited so far, please keep up the good work. I'm expecting this to be at least 26 episodes, each of them being two parts, with at least two big episodes (which would have been _End of Evangelion_ ) and maybe an epilogue at the end.

So, this fic is looking to be at least 54-55 chapters long if I do this right. Wow, I am nervous… Wish me luck!

 **Episode 1**

 **The Reunion: Who are you and why are you here?**

 **(0-0)**

Hiro stared, hoping to see a small smile on Gendo's face or for the woman next to him to suddenly shout "April Fool's!" even though it was somewhere in the middle of March or so – he was so busy with the microbots that he lost track of time – but no one was stepping forward to correct him or even object.

He looked at Aunt Cass, who looked like she was trying to think of something to say. Her face was ashen like she had just been covered in flour. Did...did she know something…?

Tadashi's expression was still stony and fierce, like the thinning upper crust of a volcano ready to erupt and burst. Hiro didn't like that expression on his brother's face. Not at all.

Hiro looked back at Gendo and tried speaking, "M-my dad _died_ when I was…"

"I'm well aware of Tatsuo's passing," Gendo interrupted him briskly, the dismissal in his voice bristled.

"Yeah, thanks for _not_ showing up at his and _Mom's_ funeral," Tadashi hissed, considering their mother not being mentioned as an insult. Hiro flinched at the tone, even if it wasn't directed at him. He couldn't recall a time where he heard his brother hiss at someone.

"Maybe we can take this outside," Katsuragi next to Gendo said in a cool voice, but there was an edge of uncertainty and hesitation, as though fearful that the next words out of her mouth would be her last.

"This guy's your Uncle?" Go Go looked at Tadashi, pointing at Gendo accusingly.

Tadashi took a deep breath and sighed with the weariness of an old man. He answered coldly, reluctantly, as though it were difficult to put his feelings into words, "…yes…he is."

Hiro shrunk back a little, the word sounding like a death sentence to him.

Honey Lemon and Wasabi looked at Hiro as though they were seeing him for the first time. Hiro took a step back, wiping sweat forming from his brow. And Fred looked as though he were trying to pull himself out of a dream, dazed and confused. It was his reaction that Hiro felt he could connect to the easiest, as he was still trying to figure out if he were still asleep and in his bed.

There was hot, there was cold, there was nothing at all. Sweat formed at the crown of his brow as his breathing tensed and slowed. His _father_?! Somewhere, he was certain, there was a god watching in the clouds or maybe even on the moon, staring at the spectacle out of amusement or sorrow over the actions of their creations. His brother, angry. His aunt, frightened. Himself, confused and yet, at the same time, trying to unravel the mystery of the man before him.

Yes. There was some resemblance. There was the chin, somewhat sharpened by the small beard he was growing. The hair, like freshly-plowed earth, though cropped closer to the head than Hiro's – which, as Tadashi had been so kind as to remind him several times a day, was messy and resembled a bird's nest – and looked as though it were straighter and less wavy. That was the only difference he could see. The nose was the only thing other than the beard that Hiro knew to be different than his own; pointed and narrow, as opposed to Hiro's nose, which was wider, a button nose.

But it was the eyes that Hiro couldn't help but stare at. It was a storm of sharpness, cool observation, and a sort of deadness, something that made shivers crawl down Hiro's spine. The eye color was difficult to discern; Gendo stood upright, the light was reflecting off his glasses, Hiro could only make out the eyes a few times the light adjusted by either movement or slight adjustment.

"No," he said quietly, almost to himself.

Gendo looked at him coldly, "What did you say?"

"I said _no!_ " Hiro said louder, looking at the man as defiantly as he could. He glared at Gendo with enough intensity to melt acid, "I'm not going _anywhere_ near you. First off, how come this is the first time I've heard of you? Second, how do I know you're not some creep looking to steal kids? And third, _why are you here now?!_ "

"Because I have a use for you," Gendo said coolly.

" _Yeah_ , that's _definitely_ something a pedo wouldn't say," Go Go responded drily.

That was the first comment that made the man react differently, his expression showing surprise and outrage while the woman beside him barely contained a giggle.

"There are things we need to discuss in private," Gendo spoke again, though there was an edge in his voice now. There was an unmentioned _without those people behind you_ Hiro managed to pick up on.

"Is this going to take place in an ice cream van or some dark alleyway?" Hiro asked, gaining a little confidence as he spoke.

"I'm not a pervert."

"That's what they all say," Hiro said under his breath. Despite his defiant stance, Hiro was shaking on the inside. Who was this man and why was he here _now_? Where was he when the car accident happened and left him and his brother an orphan?

"We can discuss this with your family over dinner?"

"Well, uh, that's the thing," Aunt Cass spoke up for the first time, "Because we were actually going to -"

"It will be my treat," Gendo interjected in that same cool voice, "There's a limo waiting out front."

 **(0-0)**

In the large limo, Hiro silently fumed. In the large limo with tinted windows and tight seating arrangements, he fumed. His hands rested at his thighs, curled into fists, refusing to look at Gendo, sitting in front of him and seeming to look at him with indifference. He tried to not scowl when he ended up having the blue-haired girl – Rey or Rei, Gendo had called her, probably short for Racheal – sit to his right. The woman, Katsuragi, was seated to his left, leaving Tadashi and Aunt Cass flanking Gendo on his side.

Go Go, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, and Fred were rejected by the bastard. _Family only_ , he said, and Hiro wanted to ask if Katsuragi happened to be his stepmother or something of the sort, but whatever fight he had back at the showcase was gone now. Callaghan looked rather upset when several men dressed in black suits and ties with sunglasses came in and _took Hiro's microbots_. He had checked to see if the neurotransmitter was still in his pocket and was grateful that no one had bothered asking him to hand that over as well.

At least a month's worth of work almost gone in the blink of an eye and Hiro didn't have the acceptance letter in compensation.

Katsuragi had attempted small talk once or twice,

"That was an impressive demonstration you gave. And at your age, too!"

"Thank you," Hiro grumbled.

Katsuragi looked like she wanted to say more, but she took one look at Gendo and her voice faltered.

They arrived at some fancy looking restaurant with a line already reaching down the end of the block.

 _Well, looks like dinner's a no-show then,_ Dad. _Guess that means you have to vamoose back to wherever you came from and never return._ Hiro wanted to say, but Gendo simply pulled out some card and the man in front moved aside to let them all through.

"I'm so sorry," Aunt Cass apologized to the protesting line, "Love your shoes!"

Hiro felt himself becoming even _more_ uncomfortable when he saw that they were taking a table currently being sat at, giving what he had hoped was an apologetic look when the diners stormed past them. And then he heard a door close behind them and realized that they were all alone now.

He couldn't remember a time that Aunt Cass had ever taken him and Tadashi to a place as fancy as this. The most he could expect was from a place on the other side of the town, where the lines didn't reach down the block and the music was more pop than fancy piano tunes drumming along to a melody that made Hiro pity the poor shmuck that had to play.

Gendo spoke to the manager and within five minutes, the table was cleared, cleaned and supplied with new silverware and napkins. Hiro chose a seat as far away from the man as he could without it being the opposite end of the table, Tadashi taking a seat right next to him this time. Aunt Cass sat at the head of the table while Gendo took the one right across from her. Rei sat at Tadashi's left, leaving Katsuragi the only person sitting on the other side of the table.

Hiro barely paid attention to the menu, not having the energy to order something expensive just to make Gendo eat his own words. He barely even noticed what was on his plate; it all tasted like ash to him now.

 _Is this what its like on Death Row?_ Hiro wondered. _Not being able to enjoy your last meal, knowing what was coming soon?_

Gendo, thankfully, was too busy carving into his steak – medium rare, Hiro noticed as the juices oozed out of the meat – to begin explaining why he was here now beyond the vague and open-ended.

Instead of worrying what the man was eating, Hiro decided to focus on what was on everyone else's plate, seeing that he had no appetite. Tadashi had gotten a pricy looking burger on a toasted bun and a healthy side of fries to go with it. Aunt Cass was slowly chewing some salmon, though she didn't appear to have any appetite to eat. Katsuragi spooned what looked like curry into her mouth, the only one in the room who looked like they were partially enjoying the meal. Hiro leaned back on his chair to see what was on Rei's plate, blinking a few times when he saw that she was slowly working on a small salad.

The same salad that she was working on earlier when everyone was asked if they wanted a soup or salad.

Not even the steaming hot jiggly cheesecake brightened Hiro's mood later around dessert, even though he could taste it this time. It took all of his willpower not to eat it all at once, for once thinking childishly that if he doesn't finish what's on his plate, then he doesn't have to hear anything that Gendo wants to tell him.

Several minutes pass until he realizes that his fork is the only one clattering against the barely touched plate. He sighed, gripped the fork tightly in his hand.

 _Just a few feet closer and I could drive this into that jerk's face. Maybe take an eye out._

Katsuragi, it seemed, was Gendo's spokesperson. She pulled out a three-ringed teal binder with the logo NERV plastered on the front and pushed it towards Hiro. He looked at it with hesitation, reluctantly dropping the fork and moving the plate aside. He picked up the binder, treating it with the same delicacy as a land-mine and opened it up. He looked through the pages, noting where words or even entire paragraphs were censored as he read. Trying to piece together something out of bits and pieces, like tiny shards.

He shook his head, trying to understand what he was being asked of. All he could make out from the text were a few words: _Angels. Mankind. Destruction._

 _Sooooo they want me to become a Catholic or be damned to Hell?_ Hiro thought. _Am I related to a religious fanatic or something?_

"Look," he put the binder down and pushed it aside, "I don't know what you want from me. I don't know who you are, and I'm not getting any real answers here. What did you come all the way to San Fransokyo for?"

Katsuragi sighed, "Unfortunately, that information is classified. There are certain parties present that aren't allowed access to what we are about to tell you."

Hiro didn't miss how her eyes shifted from Aunt Cass and Tadashi. Neither, as it seemed, did Aunt Cass.

"In case your boss hasn't told you yet, miss," Aunt Cass hissed, "I'm Hiro's _legal guardian._ Anything you say to him, _I_ have a right to know about."

"Yes," Gendo shifted in his seat and rested his elbows on the table, his hands clasped in an arch that he appeared to be resting on, "But remember that the only reason you earned custody in the first place was because _I_ said so."

"W-what?!" Hiro stood up in his seat as he watched his aunt's face become pale, " _What are you talking about?!"_

Gendo didn't flinch, nor did he adjust his position. He continued in that same cool, _infuriating_ tone, "When your aunt and uncle died, I don't suppose you remember being in foster care?"

"How would I know that?" Hiro snapped, "My parents died when I was three, I barely remember anything about them."

"So, you don't recall being taken by Child Services?" Gendo asked in a casual tone, almost amused, "No recollection of the foster home you were dropped off at?"

"How would I?" Hiro could see Tadashi's face tighten.

"Simple," Gendo unfolded his hands and leaned back, peering at Hiro like a fox would peer at an unsuspecting rabbit in the greenery, "you never _went_ to foster care. Child Services never came for you or your cousin. You've lived with your aunt's sister for the past ten years and never noticed how _nobody_ ever came in to check on you? No social worker or official working for the government?"

Hiro could only stare at him.

Gendo smirked, "That's because _I_ made that happen. The only reason you weren't lost in the system was because _I_ said so. So, you must understand that I expect your guardian to kindly leave the room…unless she wants someone coming in to discuss her ward's unusual criminal records? How many times he's been arrested within a year? One might think she was being more than a little neglectful and take appropriate action."

Hiro wasn't the one who threw the punch, unfortunately. Tadashi's fist went straight into Gendo's face before Katsuragi could react and plates shattered to the ground, overturned glasses staining the white table cloth with water that was now slowly dripping to the floor.

The girl, Rey or whatever, acted first, latching her wiry arms around Tadashi's neck, her expressionless face now burning with a murderous look of rage. Hiro recognized that look. He'd seen it before; at school, on the news, on bot-fighters he'd beaten. And Tadashi started choking.

He couldn't act fast enough as he reached over and started prying the girl's hands off his brother, startled by the strength she was putting into strangling him.

"That's enough, Rei!" Gendo said sharply from his spot on the floor, rubbing his jaw methodically.

Rei – Hiro decided it was spelled with an i at the end – hesitated for a moment, before pulling her hands away. Tadashi coughed loudly while the manager came barging in. Gendo shot the man a look and the manager slunk away like a dog with his tail between his legs.

"Tadashi, Tatsuo would be so disappointed in you right now," Gendo shook his head as he stood up, hardly startled by the action, "Didn't he tell you that not all conflicts could be resolved by throwing punches?"

Tadashi didn't answer, more focused on rubbing his neck and looking at Rei in surprise.

"I can't lay a hand on you," Gendo continued, "You're a legal adult, and therefore cannot be removed by Child Services. Now _Shinji_ , on the other hand…"

"My name is _Hiro_ ," Hiro gritted his teeth.

"I don't care what you call yourself," Gendo said harshly, his voice rising a fraction or two, "You were named Shinji when you were born and that's what you will be referred to as in my presence. Unless you want to make things difficult with your…cousin and guardian?"

Hiro shook in his spot, but he didn't speak.

"Now, I will allow your cousin to remain, but neither of you are allowed to tell your guardian what I am about to tell you?"

"Why me?" Tadashi asked coldly, "What about that 'classified information'?"

"Perhaps you would prefer to wait with your aunt outside while I talk to your cousin alone?"

Tadashi closed his mouth.

Gendo gestured to the door behind them, "Miss Hamada, if you will?"

"I-if there's any trouble, you two…" Aunt Cass started before ducking her head, "Just let me know."

And then Hiro watched in horror as his aunt _scampered_ out of her seat and through the door, leaving him and his brother alone with someone, he realized, was holding his life – and by extension, _everyone's lives_ – in his hands.

Katsuragi looked at them with a gentle expression, "Please understand that this isn't personal."

 _Funny_ , Hiro thought quietly, _Your boss was making it seem that way_.

But he couldn't find it in him to voice it.

"Whatever you saw in the folder is clearly unsatisfactory information, due to how classified it is," Katsuragi continued, "So know that whatever you are told is to _not_ leave this room. No one is to know. Not your aunt, not your friends. Understand?"

Hiro bit his lip. And slowly nodded.

Katsuagi sighed again, "We've come all the way from Japan looking for you, Shin – I mean, Hiro. There is an enemy that will be arriving within a month or so, a threat to humanity known as the Angels.

 _So they're anti-religious_ , Hiro wanted to snort, _they want me to kill messengers of God. That's messed up._

"Don't let the term fool you," Katsuragi said sternly, "Despite their name, the Angels are _nothing_ like what you expect them to be. They're nothing more than a menace intent of destroying all life on this planet."

Hiro looked up briefly and noticed the cross around Katsuragi's neck.

"Our database – I'm afraid I can't go into details about it now – has indicated that you are the Third Child, one of the few people who is able to use mankind's only weapon against this menace, the Evangelion."

She gestured towards Rei, "Rei here is the First Child. She pilots EVA Unit 0, our prototype."

Hiro didn't speak. He focused on staring at the overturned table, watching the spilled water drip to the flow at a steady pace.

"Who's the Second Child?" He heard Tadashi ask hoarsely, "And why aren't they here too?"

"Irrelevant," Gendo said right as Katsuragi opened her mouth.

"Let me get this straight," Hiro whispered, his fists tightening. He forced himself to look at Gendo, "You're my father. You came all the way from Japan…just to tell me that I had to fight these monsters. That's _all_ you came here for?"

"Correct," Gendo said unapologetically.

"And you won't take no for an answer, either?" Hiro shuddered and shut his eyes.

He didn't want to see the smirk on Gendo's face, or Katsuragi's look of sympathy, or Rei's expression of utter boredom. No, it wasn't even boredom, it was still as blank as ever. Like a doll.

And Hiro hated her for it.

 **(0-0)**

Hiro sat limply on his bed, not even bothering to start packing. They were heading back to Japan tomorrow and there was nothing he could do about it. No questions were asked about tickets obtained for both him and his brother in such a short time frame. He wouldn't have time to explain to SFIT why he wasn't going to be attending. Not that it would have matter, Professor Callaghan technically _didn't_ give him the acceptance letter as proof.

And worst of all, he wouldn't have a chance to thank Tadashi's friends for being there to support him, help him, and just cheer him on. He tried to recall the feel of Honey Lemon's kiss on his cheek when they first met, how his face burned from the contact.

He had just started to do something to make Tadashi proud, only to have the rug pulled from underneath his feet. Was he ever going to get a brake? First middle school, now _this._

"Hiro?" Aunt Cass came up from downstairs, a chocolate frosted donut half-eaten in one hand. Trailing behind her several inches was Mochi, their Calico cat, licking up any crumbs that fell to the floor as she ate.

Aunt Cass spoke again, "Sweetie, I want to talk to you."

"We both do," Tadashi came up the stairs as he spoke, his face set. Hiro looked down at his lap, his hands clutching at the sheets for dear life. He felt Aunt Cass sit on his left and Tadashi on his right.

"Whatever it is you want to say, Hiro," Aunt Cass continued, "Please say it."

"Even if it's horrible and I might not see you again?" Hiro asked quietly.

"Is it horrible?"

"No," Hiro shook his head, "Well, I think it might be…"

"Like…?" Tadashi prompted.

"You _knew?!_ " Hiro shouted suddenly, turning to face Tadashi. His brother had the decency of blushing. "You _knew_ about him and – and about _me_ and you didn't say _anything?!_ "

His brother nodded weakly.

Hiro looked at his aunt fearfully, "You knew, too?"

She nodded, tears suddenly spilling from her eyes.

"Am I even your nephew?" Hiro whispered.

"Tatsuo and Katherine adopted you as their son," Aunt Cass said, her voice cracking. "They loved you for however long they were able to."

" _Why_ did they adopt me?" Hiro's voice was barely audible now, "W-why can't I remember _him_?"

"Because that bastard threw you away when Aunt Yui died," Tadashi spat spitefully.

"H-he what?!" Hiro's eyes widened. His own father abandoned him? "We're not even brothers?! W-what are we, then?!"

"He said it," Aunt Cass tucked her head down, "Biologically, you're both cousins."

"Dad was Aunt Yui's older brother," Tadashi added, "And then…something happened. We never got the whole story. All we were told was that Aunt Yui was gone and… _he_ told us to look after you."

"How old was I?" Hiro asked, fighting back his tears, "How old was I when this happened?"

Tadashi smiled ruefully, "Three. You…you never really were the same after he left us with you. I don't think any of us were. Dad hated him with his dying breath after that."

Hiro tried to picture in his mind the image of his father, the father that he grew up hearing stories about. The father that he knew bared a resemblance to his older brother. He tried to think of a memory, something that reminded him he _had_ parents. The only images he could recall were from the pictures that decorated the walls of the house. In fact, he couldn't remember being in the same picture with either him or his mother. Or aunt or adoptive mother.

"Why can't I remember it?" Hiro whispered.

He could feel Tadashi and Aunt Cass sharing a look and wants to crumble away.

' _What would Mom and Dad say?' Tadashi dragged his hand across his face._

' _Don't know.' Hiro shrugged calmly. 'They died when I was three, remember?'_

"Didn't Mom and Dad die in a car accident?" Hiro asked out loud, "Wasn't I in the car with them?"

"Yes," Tadashi said quietly.

"Did…did my name get changed after the accident?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Hiro asked.

"You couldn't remember it," Aunt Cass answered, her voice breaking even more, "When you woke up, you were asking for your parents and brother. But you couldn't remember your name. So, we had to come up with the first name that came to mind."

Hiro felt his face grow cold, like a draft had settled in.

"Would you want to be told _anything_ that _he_ told you tonight?" Tadashi asked, "Would you have wanted to hear any of that stuff?"

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Hiro countered weakly.

"When you turned eighteen," Tadashi said. But Hiro wondered if his brother was telling the truth or not.

He didn't remember anything else afterwards. The next thing he knew, a sports bag filled with his clothes sat at the chair by his desk with a smaller bag that held his laptop and a handheld electronics game on top of it. He was tucked into bed, wearing long sleeved pajamas and stroking Mochi's fur absent-mindedly.

There was no stopping it, then. Everything he thought to be true about himself was thrown into question. He wasn't still Hiro Hamada, was he? Could he still call himself that despite everything he was told?

"Hiro?" Tadashi, he realized, was still sitting on his bed instead of the other side of the room where Hiro expected him to be now. Tadashi tried again, "Hiro, listen to me. Even if what he said was true about being your father, he was _never_ your dad. _Ever._ "

Hiro continued to stroke Mochi's fur and tried focusing on the pleased _purrs_ he was rewarded with.

"Do you think we can't be a family anymore?"

Hiro slowly shook his head.

"Do you think you have to call yourself Shinji, now?"

Again, Hiro shook his head.

"Why is that?"

"I haven't been Shinji in a long time," Hiro answered in a hoarse voice. He vaguely recalled sobbing for a while, now. He scratched Mochi's left ear, "I don't see why I have to start calling myself that now. Did we get along back then? When I still called myself that?"

"You were just a toddler," Tadashi answered, "But I guess we did. It was such a long time ago. We've grown up together for so long, I just stopped thinking we were cousins. I hadn't thought of us as that in a long time."

"Now what?" Hiro pulls his knees up to his chest, scaring Mochi and having him scamper off the bed.

"We make a promise to each other," Tadashi said with finality. Hiro looked up and saw Tadashi extending a fist his way, "No matter what happens, Hiro, no matter what Gendo says about who you're related to and who you're meant to be, we'll _always_ be brothers."

Hiro sniffed, feeling tears prickle his eyes again. He managed a smile and lifted up an arm and extended it the same way Tadashi did. Their fists collided, and they pulled away quickly, both saying 'Pwoosh!' simultaneously.

"Hey, Tadashi?" Hiro asked, "Is it…alright if…can you stay with me tonight?"

Tadashi nodded.

"I think it's been four years since the last time I asked that," Hiro muttered as he made room for his brother.

Tadashi pulled the covers over themselves and laid back onto the pillows. Without a second thought, Hiro wrapped an arm around his brother and rested his head against Tadashi's chest.

"I don't care if this makes me look like a dork," he muttered, "I just need this right now."

"Me too," Tadashi yawned, "G'night."

"Night," Hiro closed his eyes, "Let's hope _Daddy-Dearest_ dies in his sleep tonight."

Tadashi laughed loudly at that.

 **(0-0)**

The moon hung in the air like a pendulum. It was still not _her_ moon. Sleep wouldn't find Rei at this hour and neither would she find it. They had accomplished what they had set out to do, but Rei felt unsettled.

No one had ever spoken to the Commander like that in her presence. It filled her with a strange sense…a feeling. She couldn't recall what it was, like a lit candle flickering away. It was _there_ , and the urge to throttle the tall boy for his attempted attack seemed right. Though it made her uncomfortable, for some reason.

They would return home tomorrow. Doctor Akagi would want to continue with the testing, to ensure that Rei's synchronization would remain stable. She was useless to them, otherwise, and she would rather be dead than considered useless.

 **(0-0)**

 **Preview Narrated by Misato:** Hiro enters NERV Headquarters and begins his training as Unit 1's pilot. However, troubles arise quickly as he struggles to catch up to Rei before the Angels arrive. Meanwhile, Tadashi fights to maintain contact with his brother. Tune in next week for the next exciting installment. And of course, there'll be plenty of faaan~service!

 **(0-0)**

 **Author's Note:** What? You were expecting Hiro to stand up to Gendo, guns a blazing? Some epic speech with well-chosen words you wouldn't expect from a 14-year old, even one who graduated high school at the age of 13? Too bad. :)

I _did_ start off with Hiro being snarkier, but then I realized that A) Hiro wouldn't have been able to recover from such a revelation so quickly and B) I was that close to screwing up my original goal for this fic which was to have Shinji/Hiro's character remain consistent with canon.

That includes the part about Hiro actually being raised by his aunt and uncle. In case you didn't know, the manga adaptation had Shinji sent off to live with his mother's brother, his wife and their son, who was most likely around Shinji's age. I don't know if it is classified as fanon here, because some fics like _Taking Sights_ simply exclude the wife and child in their adaptations. Plus, they are pretty shitty guardians to Shinji, too.

Part of the issue with writing out Hiro learning about the Evangelion was based on how Shinji learned about them in the first episode: Shinji received a binder detailing what NERV was about, yet didn't mention the EVA at all. Because in this story, Shinji – or should I say Hiro – grew up outside of Japan, which meant that Gendo would have been forced to make an appearance to convince him and have to give a little more detail on the initial meeting. And also make it clear that he wouldn't be taking no for an answer. In short, they were giving more details about the Angels to _ensure_ that Hiro would have no choice but to say yes.

Sorry, Hiro… I'll make it up to you, I promise.

Next 'episode' will be showing how Hiro is different from Shinji other than name and who he knows.

I mean, I wanted to go through the first episode like they did in the anime and even had a hilarious reaction for Hiro, but I realized how little it made sense because I was placing him in circumstances that wouldn't make sense in his circumstances or his character. Guess it'll be an omake in the future...


	4. Episode 2: Welcome to Nerv

**Edit:** Deleted some words that I leftat the nottomof the page by accident .

 **Episode 2**

 **Welcome to Nerve: Part 1**

"Time to go soon…" Aunt Cass whispered softly, shadows under her eyes telling the tale of how restful her night was. She pushed a plate with strawberries and grapes towards Hiro, "Do you know where Tadashi went?"

Hiro shook his head. He had woken up alone in his bed, the blankets draped gently over his form. Tadashi hadn't answered any texts or picked up his phone once. The pressure from last night returned in a slow, steady build, like a pressure cooker ready to pop. He couldn't face Gendo by himself, he didn't have the courage to.

Footsteps stomped up the stairs. Aunt Cass and Hiro looked up to see Tadashi reaching the last step, red faced and panting, holding a red container under his arm.

"Sorry…about…that," Tadashi said in-between breathes, "Had to…pick something…up from…SFIT…"

"Tadashi…did you run all the way?" Aunt Cass asked in amazement.

Tadashi nodded weakly, "Forgot about…the moped…didn't think through…it…my bad…"

Hiro peered at the containing closely, trying to remember where he had seen it before. After a moment, he said, "Ow."

The container beeped and Hiro felt satisfied until he realized that Tadashi was still holding the container as something massive and white began inflating. Tadashi dropped it in surprise as the white mass finished inflating and stood upright. Hiro barely registered the scowl his brother was giving him and stared at the humanoid robot with the pudgy torso and solid black eyes with no mouth.

The humanoid raised its right hand and waved it in a circular motion, speaking in a masculine monotone, "Hello, I am Baymax, your Personal Healthcare Companion. I was alerted to the need for medical attention when you said: 'ow'."

Baymax's chest lit up with ten different faces going from a smiley face to an expression of pure agony, "On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

"I'm satisfied with my care," Tadashi said quickly. Baymax immediately began to deflate, going back into his container.

"Sorry," Hiro mumbled to his brother and aunt, "I was just testing it. Why'd you bring Baymax home?"

Tadashi sighed, "Well, since we're both going to Japan against our will, I figured I could at least bring something along to work on. I just got Baymax working and I can't just leave him here. He'll need constant testing and adjustments."

"In other words, something to keep you busy," Hiro supplied. Tadashi didn't answer, but his shoulders slumped a little.

Aunt Cass went over and guided Tadashi towards the table, "You should eat something, sweetie. It's going to be a long plane ride."

"So we're just going to let this happen?" Hiro asked out loud, "We aren't going to do something to make that prick back off?"

But he wasn't expecting an answer from either of them. Hiro just wanted to vent and they knew it. What could any of them do to prevent this?

There was a loud knock downstairs that made everyone jump. Mochi, who had been drinking from his water dish, sat upright and perked his ears. Aunt Cass and Tadashi shared a look.

"It couldn't be…" Tadashi whispered.

Aunt Cass shook her head, "Not for another hour."

As they spoke, Hiro stood up and grabbed the most threatening thing near him, a broom, and braved his way downstairs. He creepy down each step, keeping the broom head upright like a sword, and spunk along the walls when he reached the final step. He let out a sigh and weakly smiled when he saw Honey Lemon standing outside the door to the café, her face peering through the windows that weren't covered by blinds.

He walked up and opened the door, yelping when Honey Lemon immediately wrapped him in her arms. Hiro was hoping that she wouldn't notice how hot his cheeks were becoming.

"Thank goodness, we were so worried about you two. What happened?!"

Almost immediately, his face went icy cold and he gently pried himself away, trying not to let Honey Lemon see how distraught he was becoming. He didn't register the broom had slipped from his grasp and cluttered to the floor as he placed his weight on a nearby table for support.

"Hiro, who is it?" Aunt Cass called down anxiously.

"Its H.L.," Hiro managed to get out weakly, "You can come down."

His heart sank as he looked between Honey Lemon and Tadashi as he stepped downstairs, knowing that neither of them would be seeing each other for a while and it was all his fault…

"Guys?" Hiro froze when he heard Go Go behind them, hearing her walk in without invitation. He slowly turned and tried not to let any of them see how much he felt like crumbling.

Fred and Wasabi stood at the door, waiting to be welcomed in as well.

"Is that guy gone now?" Wasabi asked nervously.

"Was…" Fred's voice faltered as Tadashi slowly walked to the door and gently pulled the two in. Fred tried again, "Was that really Hiro's dad?"

Hiro bit his lower lip and ducked his head, unwilling to answer.

"We're supposed to leave for Japan today," Tadashi whispered.

"What?!" Wasabi protested, "Why?!"

"We can't say," Tadashi answered in the same mumble, "We can't say no, either. He made it clear he could separate us if he wanted to. If you guys have anything to say, now would be the good time to do so."

No one waited for a response and simply grouped together like lost sheep. Hiro curled into himself and clenched his eyes shut, not wanting to see the hurt in everyone else's eyes and be reminded that if it wasn't for him, his brother wouldn't have to leave. His brother wouldn't have to go off to Japan for reasons unknown. Any goodwill he might have built up with Tadashi's friends might already be gone now, no matter what anyone else told him.

"We'll send letters. Or emails," Honey Lemon offered, "Just try and let us know you're okay."

"We'll try," Tadashi said.

"When are you leaving?" Go Go asked quietly.

"About an hour or so," Tadashi sighed.

"What can we do until then?" Wasabi looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.

"Just…just stay here until we have to leave," Hiro replied and then added nervously, "Please?"

"Always," Go Go then proceeded to pull Hiro into her arms. He stood limp in the embrace, dimly aware of how startled everyone else was.

He couldn't remember how long she was holding him for. Hiro started to suspect – in a schadenfreude way – that he was beginning to pick up the ability to black out on the spot if things were getting more than a little emotional.

For example, he couldn't remember being seated at one of the empty café tables. Nor could he recall what he was chewing in his mouth, though he did taste cinnamon and sugar. Did someone else bring down the suitcase and carry-on or did he forget about that, too? And how long had that limo been parked outside the café for?

Then he saw the woman – Katsuragi, was it? - stepping out and making her way to the door.

Aunt Cass begrudgingly let the woman in. Katsuragi stood calm and cool, as if she didn't realize she had just stepped into a den of lions. Her face softened a little when she caught sight of Hiro, though.

"We're waiting for you two," she said, as if the limo outside wasn't obvious enough, sparing a glance at Tadashi when she did so, "I hope you two are done packing."

Tadashi had been standing up, his frame leaning against a chair next to the table Hiro was sitting at. He sighed deeply and nodded slowly.

Katsuragi looked at the others with a small amount of suspicion, now, "And them?"

"Why are they heading to Japan?" Go Go asked briskly.

"Classified," Katsuragi said without missing a beat.

"Hey, I never got to ask you this, but are you Hiro's dad's groupie or something?"

Katsuragi's face morphed into something cartoonishly irritated, her eyes popping out and her mouth gaping like a fish, "I-I don't know what you're talking about…"

"You know," Fred continued, "Girlfriend? Friend with benefits? Sex buddy?"

"I'm none of those things and my relationship with the Commander is strictly professional," Katsuragi managed to regain her composure, but her right eye still twitched with irritation now and again, "And I would appreciate it if you didn't ask those kinds of questions again, young man."

"Aright, alright," Fred said dramatically, and then muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, "I still think you're a groupie, though."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that last part," Katsuragi said calmly.

Hiro slowly stood up, grabbing a bag in each hand and waited for his brother.

"We'll keep in touch with you two," Honey Lemon said gently, though her eyes were watery.

"Don't let that guy push you around," Go Go added. She patted Hiro twice on the shoulder and moved out of the way.

"We'll miss you two," Wasabi looked at Hiro and Tadashi with a solemn expression.

 _You'll only miss Tadashi_ , Hiro thought quietly.

Fred was the only one who didn't speak up, his face flush with either barely contained anger or embarrassment, Hiro wasn't certain. Without saying anything, Fred walked over and touched Tadashi's shoulder. And then pulled him in, kissing him lightly on the lips for a moment. Fred pulled away just as quickly. Tadashi stared at him with wide eyes, before placing one hand on Fred's cheek.

Hiro stared, his insides becoming chilly.

"I had to do that," Fred replied, his voice cracking and his eyes avoiding Tadashi's gaze, "Just once."

Tadashi smiled back just as weakly, "It's fine. Just warn me next time we meet up."

Fred's eyes bulged, "Next time?"

"Well, if you wanted to try something when Hiro and I get back…" Tadashi's voice trailed off.

"Yeah," Fred nodded eagerly, clearing his throat as his voice cracked a little, "Yeah, I'd like that."

Hiro bit his lip. He didn't know Fred that well, he couldn't really claim to consider him a friend, all things considered. But he was Tadashi's friend for a good length of time, so his brother would naturally know him better. What he just witnessed at that moment could have been building up for a while, now. Whatever might happen next wouldn't occur because of this. Hiro was reminded of one more thing he was pulling his brother away from and wished that Tadashi wouldn't be so selfless for his own sake.

 **(0-0)**

Clouds drifted, like small waves lapping a shore. They curled and drifted daintily, massive and enveloping the earth beneath it.

Hiro had never been on a plane before. Well, he doesn't _think_ he's been a plane before in memory, and now recent developments have made it clear that _that_ was being called into question now. Did he ever get a passport? Was he born in the U.S.? Was that why he didn't have anybody try to deport him or something like that?

He knew that he couldn't get any straight-forward answers from Gendo and he wasn't going to start trying to.

A private jet. _That_ is what was waiting for them at the airport. An entire plane to themselves with velvet seating, wide space and several rows of flat screen televisions that gave the impression of being a fancy-schmancy movie theater.

Hiro and Tadashi had taken seating in the back as far away from Gendo as they could. Which worked out well, as Gendo had taken a seat near the front with Rei. Katsuragi had, thankfully, gotten the hint and also gave the brothers a bit of berth as well. The resentment Hiro felt for her had dwindled a little and he smiled in appreciation her way when she caught his eye.

 **(0-0)**

A little over 12 hours later, Hiro was stretching and yawning loudly. It was nighttime by now, he was certain of that.

"We should be reaching headquarters shortly," Katsuragi followed Hiro and Tadashi off the plane into the airport, "Just sit tight for a little bit, okay?"

"Hey, since we're in Japan," Hiro started, "I had a thought. Is English your first language?"

"Nope, second or third," Katsuragi responded.

"…" Hiro turned his head, "Your accent's really good, I couldn't tell the difference."

Katsuragi gave him a bright smile, "Aw, thanks! Hope your Japanese isn't rusty."

"I live in SanFransokyo," Hiro responded drily, "I grew up on that and English."

"Good, cause you're gonna be speaking Japanese for a while."

"Yay…" Hiro spoke in the same, dry monotone.

"Trust me," Katsuragi continued as Gendo and Rei picked up the rear, "When we get to Tokyo-3, it'll feel like you never left home at all…"

As they entered into the airport, her voice faltered as they all stared at a literal sea of hats – no, sombreros – threatening to engulf them all. Swarms of people trying to get through security to simply standing around and talking in clipped phrases that Hiro couldn't make out.

Hiro was only able to get out one word,

"What."

He noticed someone else had spoken at the same time he did and looked for the source. Hiro found himself looking at Gendo and turned away, scowling.

Just because they both were thinking the same thing out loud did _not_ mean he was going to get along with the older man.

"Great minds think alike, don't they?" Katsuragi tried smiling despite the kill intent radiating from both Hiro and Gendo.

 **(0-0)**

"…so when we got to the showcase, he was demonstrating some _really_ cool invention, I even recorded it for you, see?" Misato shoved the camera into Ritsuko's face suddenly, regaling her friend with what had happened in the past few days since they say each other, "And I _know_ for a fact that Section 2 men delivered all of those microbots back to their place, but I don't think anyone told him yet. His brother came along with us and –"

"Brother?" Ritsuko interrupted as she adjusted her glasses, frowning, "The files indicate that he's an only child."

Misato waved at her dismissively with a smile, "He was adopted into his uncle's family and if Hiro wants to refer to his cousin as his big brother, I'm not gonna correct him on it. Plus, it's kind of cute."

"I see he's using the alternative name, then?"

"Yeah," Misato's face became somber, "He…he didn't really take the truth that well. I feel kind of bad for him and his family."

"We have more important things to worry about than the feelings and issues of a small family being separated," Ritsuko said indifferently, "The Angels are arriving soon, and our top priority is making sure that we're ready."

Misato sighed in defeat, "I know. I still feel bad for the kid…that reminds me, actually. Speaking of the Third, I wanted to discuss his living arrangements…"

"Misato, you still haven't explained to me where you got the weird hat from…"

"Oh, this?" Misato gestured to her sombrero, "When we got to the airport a couple of hours ago, everyone was wearing one. It was Free Sombrero Day and I even got you one, too."

Risuko Agaki knew better than to ask her friend how she managed to conceal a _second_ sombrero in her bag without damaging it. She took it with a quiet word of thanks and placed it on her desk as close to the edge as she was able to. Then scowled when Misato _took_ the damned hat and slammed it on top of her head, knocking her glasses askew.

"By the way, how was he while I was gone?" Misato was all smiles again.

Ritsuko adjusted her glasses, "Fine. The cats didn't mind him, but could you _please_ give me a few days' warning the next time you need to go somewhere?"

Misato shrugged, "Take it up with the Commander, he was the one who dropped the bomb on me the last minute. Anyways, did I miss anything while I was gone?"

"Maya's making good process on the new tasks I've assigned her now," Ritsuko smiled, thinking about her successor, "I'm confident she can take over for me in a few years. People like her are hard to come by."

"I just told you about the Third Child's demonstration at the showcase, shouldn't that make him 'one of those people'?"

Ritsuko looked at the camera and examined the recent recording for a few seconds, "I see he's applying magnetic bearing servos. Not really original, but not bad for his age."

"W-what?" Misato looked startled, "But he made them all move and, and he turned them into a hand and he was hanging from the ceiling –"

"Interesting, but not in my realm of science," Ritsuko waved her hand dismissively.

Misato sighed again. Ritsuko looked at her friend and felt a bit of pity, "It _is_ good, Misato. I could ask him a few questions about it, maybe we can find some uses for them."

Misato perked up almost instantaneously.

Ritsuko nodded with a small smile, "Alright, then. You wanted to talk to me about the Third Child's living arrangements?"

Misato opened her mouth…

 **(0-0)**

Down one of the hallways within NERV headquarters, Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba was carrying documents to Doctor Akagi's office for approval when someone started shouting,

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Slowly picking up the papers that slipped from his grasp, Aoba took one look in the direction the shout came from and slowly walked backwards, certain that Akagi could look at the documents later.

He would later deny that he ran full speed, despite eyewitness accounts from a Maya Ibuki and several security cameras.

 **(0-0)**

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Author's Note:** Merry Christmas everyone! Sorry for the wait, I'm trying to find time between work and personal matters to get this story written. Still need to fix the bbattery problem on my laptop, too.

What did you guys think of the characterization of Hiro and Misato? Did you like the kiss from Fred? Let me know in the reviews, please!

Happy Holidays!


	5. Episode 2: Welcome to Nerv Pt 2

**Author's Note:** Remember my original plan to have two parter episodes?

( _Glumly_ ) I'm already failing on that part. So, here's a short chapter for your patience and part three will come out as soon as possible. Also, my laptop got a new battery, so I'm working wherever I please again. :)

 **gemm1mt** : thank you for your question. I'll definitely add BH6 characters into the mix, they will have their own sub plot while the Pilots save the world and handle the fanservice, as Misato was so kind to declare in her preview card.

 **Karmen Rider Chrome** : 0.0 Who are you and how did you get in my head? Now I have to find where you live and hide the evidence when the deed is done. XD. Yup, Asuka and Hiro will have some scenes like you asked. Consdering that this is happening before Hiro went through his character development… I won't spoil anything. I have plans for Asuka and I'll get to her later on. Thanks :)

 **Jettmanas** : Hope you'll be able to learn more about Misato, I hear Netflix is FINALLY going to get Evangelion later this year. They better not redub Spike Spencer or the rest of the cast… Also, thanks for your edit notes, I forgot that I had some stuff at the bottom. Whoops…

Short chapter, just warning you. My apologies for the long wait…

* * *

Misato stared at the two boys as they leaned against each other, Hiro softly snoring while Tadashi remained as stiff as a pillar.

"Are you ready?"

Tadashi nodded and sighed. He moved to gently nudge Hiro but seemed to decide a moment later that picking him up would be easier.

"May I ask why you're offering to let us stay with you again?" Tadashi asked quietly as he followed Misato down the hallway of NERV headquarters.

"Convenience," Misato replied, "There's room at my apartment to accommodate the two of you as well as myself and it will be easier to keep track of the Third Child."

Tadashi narrowed his eyes at this and looked down.

"Besides," Misato added a bit more cheerfully, smiling as she turned her head to look at Tadashi, "I always wanted roommates."

"Was getting someone to agree really that easy?"

"Of course," Misato's smile grew broader.

 **(0-0)**

 _Ten Minutes Ago…_

"HOW COULD YOU GO OVER MY HEAD LIKE THAT?! THIS IS GOING AGAINST PROTOCOL!"

"It was already approved. And besides, you don't really have any input on living arrangements, do you?"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Ritsuko snapped, "IF I FIND OUT YOU PULLED SOME CRAZY STUNT AS A RESULT OF THIS –"

"Geez, you're making it sound like I wanted to _seduce_ the poor kid…"

"…"

"…I…. shouldn't have worded it like that…"

 _Five Minutes Ago_

"Maya…" Ritsuko rasped as her assistant shook at the doorway, "I need a cough drop."

 **(0-0)**

"We'll have someone bring your stuff in tomorrow," Misato said as she opened the door to her apartment. Tadashi adjusted Hiro on his back, still amazed that he had slept through the long walk through the corridors of NERV – he still couldn't understand how Misato could have gotten lost _with_ a map in hand – and the car ride out. And if his watch was correct, then the sun would be coming up in a few hours.

His lips curled slightly in spite of this, though. In spite of everything that was happening, Misato being willing to let the two brothers stay with her for the time being reminded Tadashi of a key aspect of Japan that was grilled into him as school.

Hospitality.

She barely knew them, she didn't have anything to gain from doing this, and it was clear that she wasn't doing this as a favor to Gendo. Misato was –for lack of a better word – nice. There was definitely more to her that Tadashi didn't know, but he had decided that it would be for the best to not treat her as being cut from the same cloth as Gendo.

"I'll get some pillows and sheets ready for you two," Misato said as she walked into the hallway of her home.

"Thanks," Tadashi said as he adjusted Hiro again on his back and stepped through the doorway. Sometimes, he thought the kid could sleep through anything.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Alright, enough of the slow pace shit, we'll pick it up next chapter with the synch training beginning. Yeesh, getting to the first Angel is a lot of hard work…


	6. Episode 2: Welcome to Nerv Pt 3

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay, the sci-fi techno-babble is so hard for someone who is weak in the right side of the brain (which _involves_ math and science), so forgive me for not focusing much on that in the first part of the story. I promise that things will pick up by the time Asuka shows up.

Thank you so much for your continued support, **jettmanas**. Unfortunately, Misato isn't the female lead 8). Rei is the main female protagonist with Asuka as the secondary and Misato as major supporting character. Part of the inspiration for this story was me wanting to write Rei's story arc the way the creator, Anno, wished had been done and not be resolved so early on.

Canonically, Misato _is_ the secondary protagonist after Shinji, but it's been done so often that I wanted to do something different with her character arc. You'll see in the future.

To everyone else who bothers looking at this, _PLEASE_ send reviews! I want to write this well and your support will help me get the updating done faster. Forgive the slow-paced stuff, things will pick up within the next chapter or so.

* * *

The next morning, Misato rolled over in her bedding, tangling herself in the sheets like a bug caught in a spider-web. By some stroke of luck, she wasn't scheduled to come in to work until later in the day, which worked out well for her jetlag. Her mouth tasted dry and her head felt dull, albeit without the pangs and aftermath of drink. She wished that she could stay like this all morning without a care in the world, but she felt as though she needed to do something. She just couldn't put her finger on what, she was too tired to think clearly, she knew that much.

She turned over, ignoring the feel of the sheets wound around her ankles as best as she could and tried not to drift off again…

"THIS IS SO COOL!"

Misato groaned and wrapped the pillow as tightly as she could around her head. While it did little to block out the sound, it was soothing against her ears.

"WARK!"

She forced herself up at this sound, steadying herself as she tried getting up before the tangled sheets around her ankles and legs reminded her of her current problem. As she rubbed her forehead and pulled herself out of her self-made web, Misato tried to get her bearings together. If Misato was hearing _that_ noise, then that meant _he_ was finally awake, and therefore, unaware of the two newest guests in their apartment.

"HEY TADASHI, CHECK OUT THIS DUCK!"

It apparently also meant that the kid that had wowed a large crowd with his own invention was unable to differentiate between a duck and a penguin.

Scratch that, he probably wouldn't know what a penguin was anyways. Second Impact had caused a great deal of damage to the world and many species had been brought to the brink of extinction as a result. Especially in the Northern and Southern Poles.

"Hiro, what are you holding…?"

Misato slid the door of her room open and peeked out just as Tadashi's voice also raised to a shout,

"AND WHY IS IT EXTENDING CLAWS?!"

"BECAUSE IT'S A MUTANT!" Hiro declared manically as he held a disgruntled black bird in his arms, holding him high like Simba from the Lion King.

"Please put Pen-Pen down," Misato yawned, not in the mood to get angry at this time in the morning.

Pen-Pen squawked and turned his head to look at Misato. A moment later, he pecked Hiro a few times in the face – "Ow, ow, stop that! – and had freed himself, running to greet his older roommate. Misato smiled as Pen-Pen stopped by her feet and held his feathered flippers up to her like a child. She complied with his request and had him safely in her arms.

Tadashi stuck his head out of the guest bedroom he had collapsed into last night and looked at the spectacle with a bored expression. Judging from how ruffled his clothes were, Misato would have to guess that he had slept in them all night. Hiro's clothes had suffered similarly, but he didn't seem to notice it as he looked at Pen-Pen like a child gazing at a bright toy.

He looked at Misato with the same expression and then to Pen-Pen, who tried in vain to hide himself further in Misato's arms.

"Sorry," Misato began, readjusting her friend in her arms, "This is our other roommate, Pen-Pen. He's a penguin and _not a duck._ "

Hiro blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes, "Huh. So _that's_ a penguin. Don't they live in cold places."

"Pen-Pen's a Hot Spring Penguin," Misato explained as she went over to the fridge, "He can survive the heat."

"So are there other penguins like him?" Hiro asked curiously as he made his way over to the table and casually moved several empty beer cans out of the way.

"Nope, he's the first of his kind."

"What _made_ him then?" Hiro asked, "If he's the first, then he's got to be genetically engineered."

"What makes you think he's genetically engineered?" Misato pulled a beer out of the fridge and opened it with one hand, carefully tucking Pen-Pen under her other arm.

"You just said he's the _first_ ," Hiro explained. Misato was reminded of Ritsuko and braced herself for a long lecture, "And natural selection would take _generations._ The only way Pen-Pen would be the first if there were penguins taken from the North or South Pole and brought here, and _then_ have them reproduce for several generations and miraculously survive the extreme climate difference here. And the changes to their environment would have to be subtle. Like, getting ten degrees warmer for a few generations, and so forth and so forth. And since that process would take maybe a few decades, we wouldn't have a penguin anymore. Just some new species altogether. Therefore, Pen-Pen was genetically made."

"You seem to know a lot about penguins for someone who called Pen-Pen a duck two seconds ago," Misato narrowed her eyes at him.

Hiro shrugged, "I know about penguins and _biology_. This is the first time I ever saw one. Besides, just because I _thought_ Pen-Pen was a duck doesn't mean I don't know any better. How many penguins do you see living in apartments?"

"Point taken," Misato agreed and took a large swig of her beer. _Glugglugglugglug_. She stopped and let out a loud, "YE-HAW! THAT HITS THE SPOT!"

"What am I looking at?"

Misato, Hiro and Pen-Pen turned to see Tadashi staring at the room with ever growing horror. She couldn't really blame him. Trash bags overflowing with beer cans, take-out boxes left out and piled up in corners of the room, and dishes left in the sink.

"I hope you don't mind the mess," Misato said cheerfully, "I know this is a bit of a fixer-upper and I'm not used to having guests that don't live off sardines and why are you looking at me like that, Tadashi? And does your left eyebrow typically twitch like that? A-and why are you taking the beers out of the frid – HEY, PAWS OFF, BUDDY! THE BEER IS OFF LIMITS!"

 **(0-0)**

"This sucks…" Hiro sighed as he made another trip to the dumpster downstairs. He wiped the sweat beading his forehead for the fourth time this morning and began to wonder what the hell was wrong with Japan. It wasn't _this_ hot back home.

"You're telling me," Misato whined close behind him. She had two large trash bags rattling as she carried them, "I _hate_ taking out the trash."

"Wark!" Pen-Pen had a smaller bag hoisted over his shoulder and tossed it into the dumpster with impressive aim. Hiro whistled at that and gave the bird a thumbs up. Pen-Pen returned the gesture with a flipper as best as he could.

"You still haven't told me about Pen-Pen, you know," Hiro said as he followed Misato back up the stairs.

"And _you_ haven't cleaned yourself up," Misato stuck her tongue out, "You stink!"

Hiro's eyebrow twitched. She was a Captain, was so professional about two nights ago…but was a complete slob and acted around his age? Sure, she allowed him to call her by her name off-duty, but that thing was kind of expected back home, too? And why did it seem she got off from drinking beer? Was there something in the water around here? Or was he experiencing some new hybrid of tsundere?

"That's the last of it," Misato called in as they walked into the apartment.

"Good," Tadashi called back. When Hiro walked into the kitchen, he was amazed at how different it had looked compared to an hour ago. Of course, he wouldn't have minded the mess, he didn't care how his side of the bedroom looked at home since it was organized chaos to him. But if cleaning up was what Tadashi wanted, then Hiro would do it, cursing his brother under his breath as he did it.

It was a waste of beer cans, though. He could have used them for something.

Even after taking care of the trash, there was still the dishes in the sink, tabletops and counters to wipe, and yes, taking a shower and putting on clean clothes. And breakfast hadn't even been made yet. Hiro's stomach grumbled a little sometime later, wondering if it was alright for him to search the fridge and cupboards for anything to eat. Misato had told him before she went to the bathroom – which only had a bathtub inside, apparently a common thing in Japan – to treat her place as his place as well.

After another moment of thinking, Hiro decided to raid the cupboard and found some instant ramen stored away. Not the breakfast of champions, but beggars couldn't be choosers. He frowned as he tried to read the instructions on it. Kaji. His weakness. Sure, he learned the basics in elementary school, but skipping grades meant he would have the same writing abilities in kaji as Sailor Moon!

 _It shouldn't be different,_ Hiro thought, _It's just adding a cup of water into a pot for this to boil, right?_

It was not, as Hiro found out five minutes and a Pen-Pen scarred for life later.

"I said I was sorry," he grumbled to the penguin shortly after, not that Pen-Pen seemed to care that much as he had "accepted" Hiro's apology with peck wounds and scratches across his forearms and face.

"Wark!"

"I bet you couldn't do any better!" Hiro threw back before muttering under his breath, "I am arguing. With a penguin."

Pen-Pen looked at him with murderous intent.

" _And_ I'm happy to be arguing with one," Hiro added quickly.

Pen-Pen still looked offended at Hiro's claim and then, without missing a beat, waddled over to the fridge, pulled out some eggs and then a frying pan from under the stove and started cooking. Hiro rubbed his eyes, knowing that Misato and Tadashi would come back into the room and possible question their sanity as well as his own.

Or maybe Misato would tell them how Pen-Pen would do this for her every morning and act like it was nothing to be worried about.

 **(0-0)**

He didn't want to go to NERV headquarters, but Misato had stated that he needed to train. Train to fight monsters that are threatening humanity. He told himself that he's okay with this.

He almost convinced himself.

Hiro stared at the enormous mechanical beast. He could only make out the head. The rest of the body was submerged in the red waters. It was mostly purple, with orange eyes staring back at him. A thin horn, maybe like a mythical unicorn, was at the top of its forehead. But there was something about it that made Hiro shiver, even though it wasn't that cold. Something that made his chest tighten with an indescribable terror.

For a moment, he could have sworn that the robot was _breathing_. Maybe there was some wind in this vast room where the robot – no, Misato called it an Evangelion – lived. Yes, that made sense. It took some time to get here anyhow, there were definitely drafts that came in here once in a while. He shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself in comfort, hoping the wind would die down a little.

He tried to listen to the blonde woman – what was her name again? Akagi? – drone on about how the Evangelion was "mankind's ultimate weapon" and that he was one of the select few that could control it.

Kid with a giant robot fighting for humanity and no one was raising an eyebrow to this? Sounds like an anime.

"Any questions?" Akagi asked at the end.

"Why can't adults pilot these things?"

"Ask another question."

"Okay," Hiro closed his eyes and counted to ten, "Am I getting paid?"

Akagi blinked a few times, "Um…paid?"

"You know, money?"

"Paid?"

"Yes, paid. Something that happens when you have a job and aren't a slave?"

"…Paid?"

"No one's asked you that question before, have they?"

"…Paid?"

"Hiro," Misato spoke slowly, "I think you broke her."

Hiro looked at his watch as if bored, "Cool. Did it before 3. New record."

"Were you trying to do this to our head scientist on purpose?"

"No, I was hoping to do it on the Commander."

"That's not funny, Hiro."

"I didn't say it was meant to be funny," Hiro spoke solemnly.

"Paid?" Ritsuko repeated once more.

 **(0-0)**

"Misato, I have a question…"

"No, Hiro, the suit doesn't come with a hoodie."

"Not what I was gonna ask, but still a bummer," Hiro rubbed the material between his fingers. The powder-blue top with the darker blue torso and legs weren't a bad design, though Hiro would have gone for something darker. The fabric looked rubbery but felt like skin.

"What is it, then?" Misato asked.

Hiro looked up from the suit he was holding and said, "If these Angels are supposed to attack soon, why don't more people know about them?"

"It's classified information."

"So, you're keeping the public from knowing they're in danger because….?"

"Less talking, more suiting up."

"Um…" Hiro looked over the suit and tried to formulate the words, "…how….?

"This is the part where you strip down to nothing," Misato said calmly as she walked out of the locker room. Hiro looked where she exited, his right eyebrow twitching, "…unbelievable."

"Oh, and don't forget the press the button on your wrist when you're done," Misato called back, "You'll understand why."

Hiro mumbled as he took off his clothes as quickly as he could, his face a tomato-red, his fingers fumbling over zippers and buttons and shoelaces. He was down to his boxers when Misato called out to him again,

"I said strip down to _nothing!"_

"W-were you _watching?!_ "

"A little," Misato called out, "Don't worry, I won't look at this part."

Hiro pulled the suit close to his body as soon as the boxers were dropped and pulled into it as best as he could. It sagged, like puddles of old fat when he was completely in until he pressed the button Misato mentioned. The suit clamped around his body like a glove now, tight, but not suffocating.

"Finished?" Misato called out again.

"Y-yeah," Hiro blushed again.

"Good," she came back into the locker and gestured him to follow her.

 **(0-0)**

 **Author's Note:** I'm not dead and I'm scrapping my original two-part episode plans. Guess I'm doing the _Advice and Trust_ route and writing out the chapters as I can.

Please, _please_ review. It will help me write this story faster!


	7. Episode 2: Welcome to Nerv Pt 4

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry for the delay, these first few chapters are definitely slow. It picks up around episode 8 or 9, I promise.

 **Bladekotsu** : They never mentioned pay in the show because it wasn't important. We'd have to assume that the pilots got paid, because they are saving the world constantly. Rei was, as you said, a "droid" by design. She wasn't taught to think for herself. And I appreciate you liking this story, but I don't think Shinji was a wuss is canon. He was, after all, a child soldier as were Asuka and Rei. He had every right not to want to pilot the EVA and fight the Angels. NERV was practically breaking the law just by having three teens do this to begin with. Baymax isn't as major here, but he does have important stuff to do here.

 **Emeraldpichu:** Your comments are lovely. I want to make it clear in the story that Hiro might be different from his canon self, but Shinji can do things better, like what I'm going to delve into here. As for your other ideas…I never even thought of them 0.0 Maybe you should work on a crossover fic too, just to spread it like wildfire. Gendo brought Tadashi more as a mix of "you won't be going to Japan by yourself" and "I will make him suffer if you don't do what I want." No Draco In Leather Pants for you, Gendo. I think even Ritsuko would find them horrible on you.

 **Jettmanas** : I don't think Misato had a shower in the anime. I know that the bathroom and toilet are two separate rooms in Japan, I think. If you liked the humor, I hope you'll love the Pen-Pen/Hiro interactions. That penguin is so cute!

 **(0-0)**

Hiro tried not to squirm around in his seat, but it was difficult to resist. Everything about the Entry Plug seemed to be off. It felt cool, like being in a bathtub for too long or leaving the window in the bedroom open while you slept. There was a presence here that he couldn't understand, too. He couldn't see it, couldn't touch it, couldn't feel it. He just _knew_ that there was something here, too, as if he was being watched. Like he had intruded on someone else's property and was being threatened without words that he wasn't wanted there.

And the moments that it didn't feel like someone was watching, it would feel like he was in a cave, where every noise would echo to blanket the silence. Somehow, that made it feel worse, because it only added to how miserable he was feeling and how he couldn't show it to Tadashi. If his brother knew what he was contemplating…

Then there was the smell of blood filling his nostrils. Why was he smelling this? Was the LCL supposed to be like that, putrid and reminding him of a rotting corpse?

… _get out…_

 _I can't_ , Hiro thought, _I'm supposed to be doing something here, but they wouldn't tell me what._

… _get out…_

Hiro squirmed, trying to determine where the source was coming from. It surrounded him like a blanket, like clothing, like…like…

 _GET….OUT…._

 _Stop it!_ Hiro begged, _I can't leave! I don't have a choice! Just please leave me alone!_

 **(0-0)**

"Hm…" Ritsuko frowned at the readings.

Misato noticed this and asked, "What's wrong?"

"The Third Child's synch ratio…it's just past 10 percent."

This got a reaction out of Commander Ikari from his place at the command center. He stared at Ritsuko, almost daring her to repeat what she had just said. Misato felt herself shiver, she had never seen the Commander like this during her entire time at NERV. It didn't make that much sense, though. It had taken Rei several months before she could get a Synch Ratio of at least 30 percent – which was what would make the EVA move at the very least. What was he expecting from having his own son arrive with only a month to play catch up?

She frowned, trying to discern what was getting the Commander to react like that. It took a massive amount of will not to snark at him that if he wanted better results one month _before_ the Angels were supposed to arrive, then he should have had the Third Child brought here sooner. But, unfortunately, being a professional meant knowing when to keep one's mouth shut.

Misato then shuddered as her thoughts wandered down different possibilities, imagining what kind of disaster would have happened if Hiro had arrived the day of the Angels returning. Without any warning, without any information to go off of for reference. What would he have done? And if he had to pilot without any experience…only a miracle would prevent him from being slaughtered like a sheep like something out of a manga or anime. Only an idiot would send for a recruit at the last minute, and Misato was beginning to suspect that the Commander was one himself. A shame she couldn't repeat that sentiment out loud without getting fired…

 _Oh_ , but she would imagine the look on his face if she _did_ in fact voice her opinion of him at the moment.

" _There's something going in here,"_ Hiro's voice came through the speaker.

"Turn on the camera," Misato ordered. Ritsuko complied and the screen in front of her lit up.

Two images appeared side by side. Rei within Unit 00 and Hiro within Unit 01. Eyes closed in concentration. But Hiro's face was twitching and squirming as though he were haunted by a bad dream.

"Hiro, what's going on in there?" Misato asked.

Hiro opened his eyes and looked around.

"Something's in here," he said with a hint of franticness in his tone, "I-I don't like."

"You don't have to like it," Ritsuko said patiently, "Just clear your thoughts and concentrate."

Hiro's eyes narrowed, " _Oh_ , I'm sorry. Have _you_ ever been in this thing before? Have _you_ heard anything in this thing?"

"This is just for an hour," Ritsuko tried to keep her voice calm, but Misato could hear an edge just barely creep in, "We're ten minutes into this, just hang out for the next 50."

Misato directed her attention towards Rei's camera before an argument erupted, "How's everything going, Rei?"

"It is…functional," Rei said after a moment's thought.

"Synch Ratio at 30% and stable," Ritsuko observed on the monitor, "Try and get it higher, Rei."

"Yes, doctor."

 **(0-0)**

Tadashi held the cell phone in his hand.

It was just a phone call. One call he had to make. An expensive one, given that its going overseas. He took a deep breath and sighed, slowly punching the number in before pressing the call button.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

Halfway through the fourth, someone picked up and directed his call for him.

One ring.

Two ri –

"Hey Professor," Tadashi bit his lip.

"Tadashi?" His voice rises in earnest, "One of your friends, Miss Lemon, said you were going away. Is that true?"

"I wish it wasn't," Tadashi sighed, "I wanted to call you and let you know I won't be able to attend any more classes until further notice."

"WHAT?!" Tadashi pulled the phone back in shock, "WHY?!"

"Because I'm in Japan."

"Why _are_ you in Japan?"

"Because…" Tadashi hissed in frustration, "I'm not allowed to say why, it has to do with…" He sighed with resignation, "Business. That's all I'm allowed to say."

"What kind of business would drag you and a fourteen year old all the way to Japan?!"

"Classified information." God, Tadashi felt like Ikari now, with the tone he used for that reply. Then a dreadful thought came to him; Ikari _knew_ about the Showcase and about Hiro being arrested a few times – for Bot-fighting, of course – so that meant –

"I just wanted to let you know and ask about how I go about doing this officially…" Tadashi continued, feel each word come out of his mouth like a death toll.

Callaghan sounded empty when he answered, "Contact your advisor first to discuss the best option. Ideally, see if you can get a leave of absence if you intend on returning."

"I do!" Tadashi said earnestly. He listened patiently to the rest of Callaghan's instructions, swallowing every bit of bitterness and sorrow he was feeling in this decision. _This won't be forever_ , he told himself _, just for a little while._ He didn't want to think about how long "a little while" would really be.

"And Tadashi?" Callaghan asked when he was finished, "When you see your brother, tell Hiro his acceptance won't be affected by his sudden absence."

Tadashi sagged in relief, "That's good."

Callaghan chuckled on the other line, "Well, technically, he hasn't been enrolled yet, so no damage had been done. Be sure to pass it on to him, I'm sure he'll appreciate that bit of good news."

"I will, sir. And…professor?"

"Yes, Tadashi."

Tadashi bit his lip, "Could you pass on a message to Fred? He's the mascot…"

 **(0-0)**

One day. Just one day, everything he ever cared about was being threatened by someone he didn't even know. One day. Going over to two, now. Hiro seethed in the car on the way back to the apartment, the fire in his belly slowly bubbling to a boil. He brushed past his brother without comment and tried to slam the door shut, only to find that it was one of those sliding kinds. The ones without the locks on them.

Right. Japan. Something about privacy not existing around here or something. Tadashi was at the door, knocking on it softly, asking Hiro if he was alright. No, he wasn't alright and none of this was fair!

His brother was stuck here with him and it was all Hiro's fault! His brother was going to pay the price by the end of the month, and it would be Hiro's fault. He just knew it. His brother, who sacrificed for him, even getting _arrested_ last time Hiro went Bot-fighting, was getting the short end of the stick and Hiro couldn't stand it. There was so much that he was keeping his brother away from; college, working on building a career, even –

 _Fred and Tadashi were looking at each other like it would be the last time…_

Tadashi deserved better than him…

Hiro didn't answer the call for dinner and ignored the tray that was left out for him.

 **(0-0)**

Misato frowned at the readings. To her left, Ritsuko was sharing the same expression.

"His readings are even lower than yesterday," she murmured.

"He didn't get enough sleep last night," Misato replied, because she knew she had to say something, _anything_ to give Hiro a little leeway. One look from Ritsuko told her that she wasn't believing the excuse and she let her know that as gently as she could.

"It can't be physical ailments," Ritsuko explained quietly, because the Commander was also present, "It's psychological."

On the screen, Hiro's eyes were closed, but his face twitched and writhed like he was suffering from a bad dream. In comparison, Rei didn't appear to be alive at all, if the occasional twitch didn't betray herself to be among the living.

"We only have two weeks," Ritsuko continued, "The Third's going to have to pick up the pace if we're to meet the deadline."

 **(0-0)**

Hiro let the facet run long after he was done using it. The noise distracted him a little and it was like a balm to his mind. Every time he looked at Gendo, all he could see was that cool, apathetic expression. And every day, it seemed like he was silently threatening Hiro each time his Synch Ratio didn't improve like it was supposed to.

 _Get it right_ , Hiro could hear the gravelly voice, _or don't. It's not like I can't ruin your loved ones. I already took away your future, I can take away someone else's just because I can. One snap of my fingers and you might not even see your cousin again._

" _Let me come with you," Tadashi pleaded with Misato yesterday, halfway out the door with Hiro trudging along._

 _Misato looked at him with remorse, "I can't. You don't have access to headquarters."_

 _Hiro clenched his fists tightly, unable to meet anyone's gaze. He_ wanted _Tadashi to be with him, he_ needed _a familiar face close by._

He couldn't refuse to pilot because Gendo would just rip him and his family apart and ensure that they were all miserable. But he couldn't be _unable_ to pilot either, because that would mean Gendo had dragged them all the way to Japan for nothing and would simply take his mistake out on _them_. Basically, he had to get up to speed within a month despite the fact that it had taken someone like that girl, Rei, several months _just_ to get the damned robot to move a bit.

Great.

It felt like he was preparing for the Showcase, only this time, he couldn't fail the first time and he would have to figure this out all on his own. But how can he get his synch ratio up in time? What was the secret?

He leaned against the sink in the bathroom and let the faucet run. He splashed his face a few times, but he still felt miserable. Two weeks left. And by the time, something was going to happen.

He looked into the mirror and scowled,

"I hate myself."

Hiro tried to keep a brave face as he made his way to the elevator, refusing to let anyone else see how utterly scared he was. When the doors slid open, Hiro immediately scowled when he saw who was inside.

 **(0-0)**

She barely paid attention to him as the elevator continued its slow ride upward. Rei's only concern at the moment was getting back to her apartment to cleanse herself of the smell that clung to her skin. She didn't miss the Third Child pinching his nose closed in disgust as he walked in, but merely ignored it. As the elevator kept going up, she kept her gaze fixed at the doorway, waiting for it to open so she could go through.

"How do you do it?"

Rei turned around, her eyes widening in…what was that term? Surprise? Why was her heart beating a little faster for those few seconds? The Third Child had stopped glaring at her, though he didn't appear any more comfortable than before.

"I do not understand the question," she said.

"Everyone is saying how you got your EVA moving after a few months," the Third Child began, "How did you get your synch ratio up?"

"I opened my mind to my EVA," Rei answered quietly.

"Opened your mind?" The Third Child repeated slowly, "Like, talked to it or something?"

"Yes."

"Great!" The Third Child threw his hands up, a look of anger on his face again, "I have to get that stupid robot moving in the next two weeks and the only other person who can use it just 'opened up' to it? What kind of idiot designed these things and _didn't_ make a manual for how to control them?"

"If Doctor Ikari had designed the Evangelion, then that should mean that she wasn't an idiot?" Rei replied calmly. The Third Child looked at her with wide eyes, his hands dropped to his sides.

" _Doctor_ Ikari?" He repeated, then made a funny noise with his throat, "Of course that asshole would have an ego –"

"Doctor Ikari was the Commander's wife."

The Third Child's face turned pale and his mouth dropped.

"M-m-my _mom_?!"

"That would be an accurate assumption," Rei answered, "As she was the wife of the Commander and therefore, would have sired you consequentially."

The Third Child looked away, "What did she see in that guy?"

Rei didn't answer.

The Third Child spoke again, "What do you…what you do _talk_ to your EVA about? You make it sound like it's more than a robot. Like it has feelings."

"I simply talk," Rei repeated, "that is all."

"What about those…monsters we're supposed to fight? Why can't they have adults do this?" The Third Child asked.

"Don't you trust your father's work?" Rei asked quietly, but she felt a tightness in her chest, like someone gripping her insides. There was this…urge that she felt. Something about the tone the Third Child was using. Now she could hear him clench his fists to his sides, but he didn't move.

"He's not my father," he said quietly.

"The Commander said he was," Rei countered, finding herself feeling the tightness in her throat. It was clawing at her neck, wanting to get out.

"Yeah, well, he hasn't acted like one!" the Third Child snapped, "Fathers protect you. Fathers _raise_ you. They don't just leave you when you're a toddler and then come back expecting you to listen to what he says!"

"Then why are you doing this?"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Rei didn't flinch as he advanced towards her and spun her so that their eyes met, "HE THREATENED TO TAKE ME AWAY FROM MY _FAMILY_ FOR GOOD IF I DIDN'T DO THIS! YOU WERE THERE WHEN HE SAID THAT! REMEMBER?!"

Rei couldn't recall the last time anyone was this close to her person like this in such a manner. Absentmindedly, she touched the base of her neck with her hand. The Third Child was panting heavily, his face now a bright red. He turned away right as the elevator door _dinged!_ open.

She began to walk out when he spoke up again,

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's not your fault."

Rei turned around and saw the Third Child, his face still red, but his expression more solemn. His head was facing the right, his eyes looking downward. His eyes were shining a little. Were those…Rei decided that it wasn't relevant and walked out.

"I just talk to it…right?" The Third's voice came through like cracked glass.

Rei stopped for a moment and said without missing a beat, "Yes."

And she wandered down the hallway, rubbing at her chest to feel where the aches were coming from. The tightness in her throat was gone, and so was the urge to lash out. It was…odd.

 **(0-0)**

 _Just talk to it,_ Hiro told himself as he was loaded into the Entry Plug, _just pretend it's a person and hold a conversation. Nothing weird or crazy about that, just act like there's nothing wrong with talking to a giant robot. Like Fred and his laundry habits –_

The LCL pooled the surface of the Plug and began to rise. Hiro's throat tightened for the inevitable – he learned the hard way the first time he was put in the Entry Plug – and tensed as the red liquid reached his mouth.

 _Just swallow fast, you'll be able to breathe in this thing if you do_ , Hiro told himself. He almost vomited as it went down his throat, the coppery flavor bringing back memories of schoolyard fights, loose teeth, and cut lips. He closed his eyes, drowning out the noises of the outside world until he saw the flash of light beneath his eyelids. His lungs expanded with breath.

 _I talked to it_ , Rei had said. Talked to it. That was ridiculous, how could anyone talk to a –

Suddenly, Hiro remembered Baymax. Tadashi's robot. Maybe Rei wasn't far off as he wanted to think.

"Hello?" Hiro said in an uncertain tone, quietly so that Misato or anyone would notice, "My name's Hiro Hamada…can you hear me?"

There was no sound, save for the hum of the machinery. Hiro tried again, "I'm Hiro. I want to talk to you. Are you there?"

"Hiro, is everything okay in there?" Misato's voice came through the speaker.

"Never better," Hiro said in an awfully cheerful tone. _Worst Liar Award for eleven years straight and counting._

"Just concentrate," Misato replied, "We're going to be here for an additional hour or so, so you better get comfy."

Hiro tried to concentrate, but his mind kept going back towards Ikari and his cold gaze and his cruel threats.

 _Please say something._ Hiro silently pleaded. _Anything, really. I can't lose my family, I already lost it once._

Something in the Plug changed.

 _I don't want to be here, but I have to. I have to control you, you need to listen to me. We need to work together on this. What do you want?_

… _ji…_

 _I can't lose my brother, he's here and its all my fault and he doesn't deserve this!_

… _S…ji…_

If he wasn't engulfed in LCL, Hiro was certain he would have been on the verge of tears. _He's my best friend! If you won't do this for me, then do it for him, you'd love him in seconds!_

 _Sh…ji…_

Hiro froze. It felt warmer, more comfortable. But only by a little. Yet there was something else, too… For a moment, he thought he felt someone wrapping their arms around him in an embrace.

"Who's there?" He whispered.

… _Shin…ji…_

 **(0-0)**

 **Episode 2**

 **Welcome to NERV**

 _To be continued…_

 **(0-0)**

 **Author's Note:** Wow, I'm _really_ not liking how I'm writing Hiro here. I know he has every right to be angry and frustrated, but writing about it constantly even though this is over the course of two days is _exhausting_. And even though I have plans for his interactions with Rei, I don't like the way he's acting a bit like Asuka around her.

Tadashi making a call overseas is a lot more complicated than how I did it, but my experience with making a call overseas was hard to translate to the page, which is made even more challenging with how my brain works. I had to handwave a bit of this, unfortunately. And gloss over the process of dropping out for a time, since it would have been boring and not as entertaining as reading Tadashi's thoughts.

In the NGE fics I read, Shinji gets a higher Synch Ratio first time in Unit One whenever someone decides to "unwhimpify" him. And yet, he was canonically able to get Unit One moving the first try as well, the only problem is that he had no training prior. So, Hiro's definitely going to have more troubles with Unit One than Shinji did, because what's the point of making changes to the character if it isn't going to be a challenge?


	8. Episode 2: Something familiar

**Author's Note:** Thank you all those who have been following and reviewing. Just wanted to reply to your comments:

 **Guest (Matt):** Yes, Gendo is an asshole. The main reason is that he had to have a way to drag Hiro back to Japan. He has done some awful things, but I want to make him a bit more complex like the anime does.

 **Guest (Galva):** I'm glad you like it so far (hugs). This will be a pretty long story chapter-wise since I don't think I'm able to write lengthy chapters yet. I have some interesting ideas that I wanted to try here, too, so I hope you enjoy it.

 **Bladekotsu** : I'm glad you thought it over. To be honest, I probably would have a difficult time liking Shinji too if I didn't think of his circumstances. But several factors have allowed me to see him as someone to worry for including: having several friends (including one of my best friends in college) go through depression and being a shoulder to cry on, trying to think more critically about a situation thanks to studying child psychology, and learning how to interpret someone's behavior.

This last part I credit to the wonderful show that is _Steven Universe_ , with a one shot character, Mr. Frowney. When I was watching it with some friends in college, I had a hard time liking him and was frustrated at how much of a downer he acted even when presented without possible outcomes that would be nice. Example would be the main character trying to give him a positive answer about Frowney meeting an old friend and Frowney refusing to believe it to be possible. I admitted my frustrations about the character out loud and then one friend responded, "That's what it's like to have depression" and suddenly it made more sense. And then I felt guilty about what I said.

Shinji has a hard time seeing the good in things because of his own shitty life and because I believe he is also suffering from depression in canon as well. He has good days where he can snark, smile and be hopeful and also have days where all he wants to do is curl up in his bed and listen to his music and block out the world. I admit to having some days like that and I also suspect that I might have some form of depression too, but I'm not a therapist. It affects what I want to do, including writing or being active. It's a fight, but one I refuse to lose. (Cue determined look with battle music in the background while a tiny Pokemon is nuzzled in my arms).

 **Jettmanas:** Thank you so much as always. Much of Hiro's struggles are parallels to Asuka's difficulties with Unit 002 later on in the series. Misato's frustrations, the bathroom, even the elevator are meant to be parallels to Episode 22. Yep, Rei was fuming on the inside, she would have slapped him like she slapped Shinji in Episode 5 after he made a negative remark about his "father" and I hope I showed it well. She is described as feeling great emotion, just cause she doesn't show it doesn't mean she doesn't feel. Who knows what was going through her head during that elevator scene in canon, especially since Asuka strikes her in the end? At least Hiro was apologetic about his reaction, he knows Rei isn't to blame and appreciated her advice more thoroughly than Asuka did.

It isn't going to be 9 chapters till it speeds up, I said 9 episodes. I think the episodes will be split into parts more often than not. The anime took a bit of time before I could watch the episodes easier.

I like talking about stuff in my A/Ns, just to give people more insight without spoiling anything (I'm looking at you, _The Bloody Ashikabi_. A good author NEVER talks about stuff in the story in their notes that they could easily incorporate into the story itself without hassle or that they were going to show later on). Plus, I like to talk a lot :)

Yep, didn't want to leave Tadashi just sitting in the apartment looking pretty. Had to address that stuff, too.

Thank you for your patience through this lengthy A/N, have a chapter as thanks.

 **(0-0)**

He liked running around, he liked examining and exploring everything that he could and even the things that he couldn't. So many sights to see in the world. Tadashi once called him an _uzai_ when he was caught in the older boy's room one too many times but was immediately reprimanded for it. He himself was scolded for using a "naughty" word when he repeated it later that day.

"If I catch you using that word again, I'll smack you," Papa told him. He was giving him _that_ look, the look that could make anybody else feel sick, like they swallowed curdled milk.

Shinji never believed him, though. Papa never raised a hand to him. But he still promised never to use that word again. Because Papa never talked to him if he could avoid it, and the times that he did say something meant it was serious and to be respected. Words weren't to be wasted, he said when Shinji asked one time. And words weren't meant to be filthy and foul. Did he mean filthy and foul like the garbage when the bin gets really full? Shinji wasn't sure how his mouth could become dirty from saying certain words, his tongue didn't taste like he ate dirt that one time.

All the other times, when Papa didn't talk, Shinji thought he was funny. He always looked – what was that word Uncle used again? The one that he said made Shinji adorable when he said it – solemn. Except when Mama was in his arms. Papa had a wonderful smile when Mama was near. It was like seeing the first ray of sunlight after a stormy night. It made everything seem better. Shinji had a feeling that his Mama was magic, everything she touched would seem brighter or better. One time, she told him that any place could be heaven if one had the will to make it so.

Shinji couldn't understand what she meant, so Mama pulled out a blank sheet of paper.

"What do you see?" she asked in that quiet, calming voice.

"Paper," he said.

Mama smiled, "What's on the paper?"

Shinji frowned; he didn't understand what she meant by that. There was nothing there, "I don' see nothin'."

Mama pulled out a pencil and held it above the paper, like a samurai wielding a katana and timing their first strike, "You're right, Shinji. There isn't anything on the paper. But you can change that."

And with that, her hand came down on the paper, conjuring shapes and forms, steering the pencil across the paper with such speed and precision. Shinji's eyes couldn't follow that well, he couldn't make out what Mama was doing. She handed him a purple crayon and told him to fill out the shapes as they were made. It was an odd sight to see, his Mama and him kneeling over a small piece of paper.

She continued as they drew, "Your father and I are both lucky to have each other. He has a wonderful smile."

Shinji nodded in solemn agreement. Or he thought it was solemn, he was certain he was nodding the way Papa would nod and Uncle would tell him that he was acting al solemn. He didn't realize that Mama was done drawing until she pointed to the paper.

He frowned at the picture; it was an odd picture to make. He couldn't see what the shapes were supposed to be. The purple made it look pretty, at least. Mama must have noticed, because she was pointing to the center of the page, "Look there, use the center as a guide."

And Shinji saw it. Pistils. He followed the pistils, traced the shapes with his eyes, drank in the sight. Petals layered upon petals, folding over each other. Drops of dew dipping at the edge like Tadashi when he would use the diving board at the local pool. The petals were slim and saggy, but not like the trash bags if they were soggy. They looked a lot like little lips, kissing whatever animal was lucky enough to find it.

"It used to just be a piece of paper," Mama continued, "But look at what we made together with just a pencil and crayon."

"Is this paradise?" Shinji asked.

"It can be," Mama said in that odd tone of hers when Papa and she talked about grown-up stuff, "If you want it to be."

Shinji liked the picture, but still didn't think he understood what his mother was talking about. Paradise. That was a word that was associated with Heaven, wasn't it? Paradise. Heaven. What did the afterlife, where Granny had gone before he was born, what did that mean? Mama said that Granny was in a better place, but how could you make Paradise if you weren't dead?

"It sure is," Papa's voice was just as quiet and solemn. But when Shinji looked up, he saw how his eyes lit up looking at Mama. Papa ignored Shinji hugging his legs while he and Mama greeted each other with a kiss.

But Mama wasn't nearby right now. So now Papa was solemn and doing that funny thing with his hands again when it concerned something important and he had to be at that large desk. He wasn't paying attention to Shinji now, only telling him once to behave himself while everyone worked. And to not touch anything.

Shinji nodded that he understood and wandered around, smiling at everyone. Including the old man with the dark gray hair and the early signs of wrinkles, like day-old oatmeal. The old man didn't smile back, though.

"Who let this child in here?" The old man demanded in a harsh tone.

"That's the Director's son," Dr. Akagi said from the other side of the room. She was friendly. She said she had a daughter herself that was a lot older than Shinji. But her voice was bored, like Papa's was whenever Mama wasn't around, and he had to look after Shinji.

"Ikari, this isn't a daycare!" The old man snapped at Papa. Papa didn't look at him. Shinji decided to ignore the old man and wandered to the big window that Papa was looking at, careful to not trip over the coils snaking across the floor and sloping through into the next room like vines.

"It's my fault, Professor," Mama's voice was all around them. Shinji saw where she was on the other side of the window and waved eagerly, "I brought him here."

The old man protested, "But Yui, this experiment is critical to – !"

 **(0-0)**

Hiro gasped as he woke up, lunging forward to reach for something before his body surrendered to the lingering exhaustion of sleep. There was something in front of him he wanted to see, but he didn't know what it was anymore. Something he was dreaming about. It felt familiar.

He sighed and laid back on the mat. Tadashi snored several feet away from him, ignorant to the world. Hiro looked over to the clock and cursed under his breath at how early it was. He closed his eyes and tried falling back asleep, but it was nearly impossible with his mind wired up. He couldn't stop thinking, kept trying to remember what he was dreaming about.

Eventually, he gave up and crept out the guest room like a thief, sliding the door shut behind him. The apartment was dead silent save for the hum of Pen-Pen's refrigerated room. He made his way over to the television, hoping he'd find something decent playing.

The television was set to a low volume, but Hiro kept looking over his shoulder from his place on the floor in case Misato or Tadashi came in. What was he doing again? Oh, right, television. Can't sleep. Kill time. Once or twice, he'd flip to a channel that looked like it had something remotely interesting, but his interest was lost just as quickly. A sappy romance movie right in the middle of a crummy kiss scene between two actors that couldn't even act to save their lives – was one of them _sparkling?!_ Hiro made a face and clicked the remote. Some rerun of an old anime involving a boy who could turn into a girl when splashed with cold water and his crazy quote unquote love interest who always lost her temper at him for the pettiest reasons.

Oh, and a bunch of crazy girls who were his "fiancés" and trying to vie for his attentions, regardless of how much he clearly didn't want them. Oh, and the angry girl keep taking it out on him instead of the guilty parties. What fun that must be, living in a world like that.

Hiro rolled his eyes and changed the channel again. That kind of thing popped up a lot in this anime; the hair-trigger temper girl that always seemed to be bipolar. How could anyone fall in love with someone that two-faced and immature? He would _never_ want to be around a girl like that. If no one could be honest about their feelings and handle it like _that_ , then it wasn't going to end well for anybody.

Two giant robots were duking it out on another channel. Hiro paused and decided to put the remote down for the moment. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of familiarity as he watched what he realized was also a rerun of an anime that had long been concluded. He watched the two robots fight until it was over, and then saw the transition to what he assumed to be the main character and the other members of the cast celebrating.

It was cheesy, obvious, and Hiro couldn't get enough of it. For some reason, he couldn't help but compare the characters on the screen to his own life. The large mechanic was Wasabi. The tough girl was Go Go, she even had her own bubble gum. The other girl, bubbly and optimistic, she had the best chance of being Honey Lemon. Tadashi was the father. Fred was the normal friend.

"I remember this."

Hiro spun in his seat and watched Misato join him on the floor.

"What're you doing up this early?" He asked.

Misato stuck her tongue out at him, "I'd ask you the same thing."

Hiro looked down, "I couldn't sleep. There was this weird dream…"

He trailed off, uncertain of how he could explain it. Something about a test…?

"Dreams often hold a hidden meaning if you look into them enough," Misato said sagely.

Hiro looked at her funny, "What is it with adults and talking funny? First thing I hear from my idol is 'burning the midnight oil' and Tadashi telling me to look for a new angle and now this."

Misato smiled, "Comes with age. It's actually something that –"

She stopped herself and cleared her throat a few times. Her expression turned sour, like she had just eaten a lemon whole. Hiro was curious about who she was referring to but decided to drop the matter. For some reason, he felt a pang of sympathy for her.

The screen was the only light in the room, and Hiro and Misato stared in awe at the anime playing. It reminded Hiro of a time where he would get up early and watch cartoons until Tadashi joined him. He could barely remember what had his attention back then on the screen, but he knew that it was a glorious era before shows became dumber and he nearly swore off all cartoons altogether.

Well, except for that show with the boy and the alien women. Tadashi had introduced him to it.

How could showrunners think writing fart jokes and making good characters bad was a good idea? Talk about a decline in the arts…

Misato broke the silence again, "You're making really good progress, you know that, Hiro?"

Hiro looked at her with uncertainty, "I…I guess?"

Misato flashed a grin, "Don't sell yourself short. You've been getting more progress in the past few weeks alone than Rei's ever gotten –"

 _Not like I have a choice_ , Hiro thought darkly. He mentally shook himself, it was too early to brood on that. A part of him wanted to focus on the feeling the first time he connected with the EVA, how warm it felt.

"– and you're almost caught up to her now. Just keep up the good work."

They stopped talking again and continued to watch the show. After a little while, Hiro tried to instigate a conversation, "How…long have you been here for?"

"I got here a few days before we went to get you," Misato scratched her nose for a moment, "So we're both in the same boat, I guess."

Hiro looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "You're new around here and you're a Captain?"

"I transferred from another branch," she explained. That piped Hiro's interest, realizing that this was the first real conversation he and Misato had ever since they came here.

"Why did you join NERV?"

The sour expression returned before Misato mastered herself and looked at Hiro with what he assumed she thought to be a placid face,

"I joined because I wanted to."

Hiro looked down, suddenly reminded of the times when Aunt Cass scolded him for misbehaving. Misato continued, "I was thinking about this for a bit, but…maybe you shouldn't be spending all of your free time cooped up in here. I wanted to bring this up to Tadashi in the morning, but since you're here, I might as well ask. How would you feel about being transferred to the public middle school?"

"What?" Hiro asked flatly.

Misato continued in a level voice, like talking to an agitated dog, "I know you already graduated high school and were going to college before…before you had to change plans. But you could think of this as…an opportunity."

"To do what?" Hiro looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a bored expression, "Be bored out of my mind surrounded by a bunch of kids? And have people tell me stuff I already know?"

"Do you have any other suggestions?" Misato smirked at him, "I'm sure we could have you at NERV all day if you'd like. Ritsuko would like a guinea pig for her other projects."

"No, no! School's fine!" Hiro said hurriedly. He stood up without warning and stretched his arms wide, "Well, it's getting late. I better get back to bed. Night, Misato."

He hurried himself out of the room before Misato could call out to him and laid on his mat until the sun rose, sleep firmly out of his grasp.

 **(0-0)**

 **Author's Note:** Was watching the new dub of Evangelion on Netflix (not bad, but I wish that they had the original cast as an option too) and I just realized that Misato had arrived at NERV earlier than she did in canon. I took the words "I just moved here" in a more general sense and forgot that she wasn't there until at least a day or so before she met Shinji. Whoops. Whelp, that's another For Want of a Nail in this story. LOL.

Thanks for reading, don't forget to review!


	9. Episode 2: Something familiar Pt II

**Author's Note** : Not dead. I swear. Thank you for your patience. Consider this a late Christmas present.

 **Bladekotsu** : I'm building up the story a bit. We can finally push further into the action soon.

 **Jettmanas** : They took a blank sheet of paper and made something beautiful with a few things. I'm going into more detail about Hiro's issues with school here.

 **(0-0)**

Hiro wasn't sure when, but the anxiety that hung over him like a starving vulture was slowly fleeting away. But what was the cause of this? Was it because he was starting to trust and even like Misato, and maybe began to see her as an ally? Maybe it was because it felt like Gendo was no longer trying to burn a hole in the back of his head as his Synch Ratio got a little higher each session in the Eva.

Or was it because of that presence in the LCL that stayed there after Hiro followed Rei's advice? It was that presence that something – or someone – was in there looking after him. Even the smell of blood was starting feel less significant, less omnipresent. Hiro thought he heard something somewhere about the nose growing numb to certain scents after a length of time and dismissed it as such.

As it turned out, Misato's talk about getting enrolled wasn't as much of a suggestion and more of a promise. Hiro had overheard several conversations when she and Tadashi both thought he was asleep. It irked him to no end that his brother would be conspiring against him, it was treachery of the highest kind. Tadashi's only issue with it seemed to be Hiro's previous experiences in school...

"He didn't grow up normal," he had overheard one night, "When Aunt Cass took us in – it was – it was hard. We just lost Mom and Dad and –"

At that point, Tadashi's voice went lower and Hiro had to press his ear against the door to listen.

"I just lost my cousin and got a little brother. He wasn't the same after the accident and as much as it hurt to lose them...it was probably for the best."

"What was it like before?" Misato matched Tadashi's tone and volume just as well, Hiro was tempted to press his ear against the door a little more.

Tadashi snorted bitterly, "What wasn't it like, you mean? Crying. Nightmares. Getting angry whenever You-Know-Who was mentioned. Not talking to anyone unless it was a yes or no question. There were a lot of rumors about what happened. Dad thought some of them made too much sense. Mom didn't know what to believe. It was awful."

Huh. It was funny how no matter how many times they're mentioned, Hiro still felt like he didn't know much about his parents. He could barely pick up anything from their mention and Tadashi was always so tight-lipped about them.

There was the sharp intake of breath and a shuddering exhale.

"God," Tadashi almost sounded like he was going to cry, "I still find it hard to talk about…"

"What was Hiro like growing up? Did he have any hobbies?" Hiro wasn't sure if he ought to credit Misato's attempts to move to brighter topics. Like asking if someone preferred to be boiled or roasted over an open flame.

"If you count bot-fighting and online gaming." Hiro resisted the urge to snort, he wasn't going to let them know he was still awake. He was honestly surprised that Tadashi remembered the second hobby without trouble. What? Did he expect his entire life after high school to revolve around quote-unquote illegal activity? He was as likely to prattle all day about bot-fighting as he was about eating gummy bears for every meal. He liked them, but he wasn't addicted to them for crying out loud. Tadashi added as an afterthought, "Oh, and inventing."

A chair creaked from movement, "I took it as much. Does he like building tiny robots to do his bidding or was that just for the Expo?"

"Rocket boots for our cat, rocket utensils, utensil rockets, hover cart…" Tadashi listed in a slightly more amused tone.

"He made rocket boots for your cat?!" It was clear that Misato was biting down a chuckle.

"And tested them while I was asleep," said Tadashi in a dry tone, "I think that twerp still has a picture of that...right before my fist smashed into the camera in my panic."

Now, Misato laughed softly. Tadashi joined in after a few moments. It subsided shortly afterwards, leaving a solemn quiet to linger.

"What about school?" Misato's tone was cautious, probably knowing she was probably treading on a sensitive topic.

"Horrible!" Tadashi bit out and Hiro could hear the clunk! of his fist hitting the table harder than he meant to. His voice turned brittle the more longer he spoke, as though he were tenaciously gripping onto the feeling for years and only now could he vent, "He was moved up a few grades before the first year was done, people started hating him when he answered a problem posted in the hall that only a few professors were able to answer, representatives from different academies hounded him to apply, kids bullied him just because he was smarter than him!

"He would come home covered in bruises and scrapes from fights, he had to learn self-defense so he wouldn't be helpless, and the school barely helped at all! Honest to God, I think the only reason those brats ever got in trouble to begin with was because we threatened to sue them. Or because Hiro pulverized them before I got my hands on those little brats, and they couldn't prove some scrawny little kid was the one responsible."

Tadashi took a few moments to collect himself before he continued in a more somber, but collected tone, "He was such a sweet kid. If you ever saw him smile that gap-toothed grin of his the way I did when we were growing up…And then it was…gone. The happy kid. The cute little brother who'd hug me around my legs when I came home from school, because he would wait all day by the door for me to step in. The one who wouldn't stop himself from reading whatever he could get his hands on. The one who would sing along to whatever was playing on the radio. All of it. And it was like Aunt Cass and I lost our family again."

He stopped again and his ragged breath was the only hint Hiro had to know just how awful his brother was feeling right then and there. He was about to open the door wide open and pull his brother into the tightest hug he could give when Tadashi spoke again.

"I started letting him help me build things in the garage. Whatever we could get our hands on that wasn't bolted down and Aunt Cass said was off limits. I think it helped him get through middle school in one piece. We built a hoverboat out of an old inflatable raft and flew it down the hill so fast, I think I swallowed a bug or two. But when we got out…"

A warm chuckle rumbled from his throat, "He was smiling and wanted to do it again. It wasn't the same smile like before, but it was better than nothing. Soon enough, he was building things without my help and I think some of them took a few years out of Aunt Cass. And then I went to SFIT, and suddenly we weren't able to spend any real time together. Two years later, he graduates high school with the highest GPA – I think he even flipped off some of the other graduates when the teachers weren't looking – and he was suddenly into bot-fighting. After months of pleading, I got him interested in SFIT enough for the Expo…"

"And then Commander Ikari and I showed up and ruined it all," Hiro could practically hear the look of guilt and realization on her face. He was certain she was going to start profusely apologizing for her part – which was pretty non-existent in Hiro's opinion – when Tadashi beat her to it.

"You didn't do anything. He did."

"But I still followed his orders..."

There was silence once again; this time, more subdued than solemn.

"Do you…" Misato paused as she collected her thoughts before she continued, "Do you think this would be a bad idea, then? Sending him to school and hope he doesn't go through all of that again?"

"Honestly, I would want it to be up to Hiro," Tadashi said with an air of defeat, "And when he gets his mind set on something, he's going to stick to it."

"I owe him an apology," Misato muttered, "He must think I was threatening to keep him at headquarters all day…"

Oh, you definitely owe me that! Hiro thought with no small about of bitterness. He had agreed to the idea in a panic that night they talked but had pretended as though it hadn't occurred to begin with whenever it was mentioned. Misato hadn't given up yet and now he had begun to dread whatever attempt she would try next.

"So, what are we supposed to do? He's a kid, dammit, he should be around others his own age."

"Like Rei?" Sounded like Tadashi definitely remembered the first impression she had given him, and frankly, Hiro couldn't blame him. There was something about that girl that made her seem...off. At first, he thought he hated her for it, but that one conversation in the elevator was making him wonder if he should be worried. About or for her, he wasn't sure.

"Maybe you could take him to look at the school, figure something out with him."

"I'll see what I can do," Tadashi sighed.

The next morning, Hiro tried to act surprised when Tadashi said they were going to explore the city after the testing was done. And if he was being honest with himself, he knew just being somewhere other than NERV or the apartment.

There was no moped to carry them through the unknown streets, no promise of heading to a Bot-Fight that didn't happen. Just two brothers exploring the city using the train system. Tadashi must have gotten some information on how the trams worked from Misato before they left, because Hiro could barely figure out the routes. His brother acted as though he had been on the trains countless times with how he weaved them through crowds and into stations. They stopped at one of the train stores when Hiro caught sight of the snacks – he hadn't had anything to eat almost all day – and they took a detour to browse the selections. Fifteen minutes later, they had their arms bearing several different sandwiches for a late lunch – cream cheese with kiwi was definitely something he would want again.

When they got to the school, Hiro was surprised to see students hanging around the field and grounds – wasn't it a Saturday? – and did a double take when he saw Rei sitting on a bench by herself, reading a book.

"Wow," Hiro said airily, "School on a Saturday. These kids are spoiled."

Tadashi caught sight of Rei and his body tensed up. Hiro noticed that his hand was slowly going towards his neck and massaging it tenderly. He looked back at the girl and realized that no one else was sitting beside her. She simply continued reading her book in that stiff posture, not even taking a moment to crane her neck to look at her surroundings or stretch. A girl then walked past Rei, taking one look at her before snapping her head up front again. Hiro was certain that her pace quickened a little.

"What do you want me to do, Tadashi?" Hiro asked softly.

"First, I want you to stop eavesdropping on my conversations with Misato," Hiro flashed a toothy grin in response, hoping to demonstrate what an angelic child ought to look like when accused of wrongdoing. Tadashi rolled his eyes and continued, "Second, I want this to be your choice. If you don't want to do this, then we can figure out something better to do. Maybe a part-time job or…"

Hiro knew that his brother was grasping at straws. They both knew that going to school would be an uncomfortable – and frankly, painful – reminder of what Hiro went through the first time. And Tadashi wasn't wrong about Hiro; if he said he would do something, then it was going to happen and hell to pay. If he didn't, then there would have been no way he would have spent countless sleepless nights working tireless on the microbots. On the other hand, there had to be some kind of distraction to keep him thinking about NERV and the EVA and monsters, even if the latter part hadn't debuted yet.

"I don't want to go through this again," Hiro hated how weak his voice sounded. He was fourteen; it was too old for him to sound so childish. If only they could think their way out of this –

"I got it!" Hiro exclaimed.

"Got what?" Tadashi asked, startled.

"We're in Japan, remember?" Hiro didn't bother letting his brother answer before he barreled into his point. "That means the learning system is different and I'm going to have a hard time with it!"

"And…how is that a good thing, exactly?" Tadashi was giving him that look, the one that said he was questioning Hiro's sanity or sugar levels. Sometimes both.

"I stood out back home because I could plough through everything they threw at me," Hiro combed his hand through his hair as he began pacing, "And I can't read kanji; I always sucked at it! Everyone will have to do that and – and – !"

Hiro punched a fist in the air and started dancing. It was a full minute before he remembered that Tadashi was watching him and immediately stopped. His brother then seemed unaware of the hole he was trying to burn into his head with a glare at the moment.

"So, what you're saying is you'll fit in by not doing well?" Tadashi asked after he managed to collect himself.

"Yes!" Hiro grabbed ahold of Tadashi's shoulders and shook him enthusiastically. "It's perfect! The greatest plans are always the easiest ones!"

 **(0-0)**

"He said that?!"

"Trust me, I'm just as shocked as you are."

"Well…great. We can get him enrolled in a few weeks." Misato pulled another beer can from out of the fridge. There was a click! and a snap! and Misato guzzled down the can slowly as she ended the phone call. After the discussion she just had, she knew that she was going to need it. It barely felt like a victory and more of another harsh realization.

She was honestly surprised at the sudden one-eighty turn in Hiro's stance. It was a bit mortifying and more than a little disturbing to know what Hiro's reasoning was behind coming to an agreement. He was willing to sacrifice his pride to allow his grades to drop – no matter what he said about having difficulty reading kanji – but it was only for the sake of being left alone and preventing more unwanted attention towards himself.

The first moment Misato saw Hiro, she knew that there was something wrong. He had been surrounded by a small group of people and his family. The physical affection he had received from the one named Fred had caught him off guard. Almost as if he never expected one from someone outside his family. She saw how his eyes lit up as he demonstrated the use of his microbots to the audience and how full of life they had become in just a few moments after his little hiccup in the beginning.

Commander Ikari hadn't been in contact with him – either out of duty to his work or just plain negligence – and didn't seem to care that he was ripping that boy from something he really wanted to do. Tearing him from a future that Hiro had just begun to build. The very next day when he left – forcibly - the same small group was there to send him off. At first, Misato had believed it was because there was barely any time to say farewells that no one else was there. Now she knew better.

Tadashi had all but stated that Hiro had no friends to speak of. Which meant that the people that were supporting him at the Expo, the ones cheering for him in the end were Tadashi's own friends trying to be friendly. At least, that must have been how Hiro perceived it. She had no doubts that they had cared a lot about Hiro from the sorrowful goodbyes he had received.

It reminded Misato of a story Ritsuko had mentioned. Creatures known as hedgehogs, with prickly spines around their body. They yearned for physical connection with their own kind but couldn't without risking feeling pain from physical contact. The closer the hedgehogs got to one another, the more the spines would prick them. Ritsuko had called it the Hedgehog's Dilemma, the pain of closeness.

Of course, Hiro wouldn't open up to Misato about his past, she was a complete stranger! Tadashi was a different story, however. Blood was often thicker than water, but not even the fact that they were cousins stopped Hiro from valuing Tadashi and his aunt more that the Commander. Not that he had any reason to do so, he had only just found out that his father wasn't dead as he had believed. Tadashi had been the closest thing he had to one for as long as he could remember.

In the end, Hiro was simply choosing to attend school because he had figured out a way to keep himself from getting hurt again. It was a poorly thought out tactic in Misato's opinion. That boy was going to have to learn sooner or later that part of growing up meant opening one's self to the opportunity of strong bonds, even if it meant feeling pain in the process.

Misato downed the rest of the beer and settled it onto the coffee table. If she were quick about it, she could start the application process and have Hiro settled into class in a few weeks. She was concerned whether or not the Commander would insist Hiro be registered as Shinji and had the feeling she'd need to make up some cock-and-bull story about how it was for the security of NERV that he be registered under a false name.

Pen-Pen padded across the room at that moment, stopping to look at Misato expectantly. Without further comment, she reached over and pulled the bird into her lap.

"Be thankful God didn't give you prickly spines," she whispered into Pen-Pen's feathery coat. In response, he nuzzled further into his oldest friend's embrace.

 **(0-0)**

Rei hadn't spoken a single word to the Third Child ever since their brief meeting in the elevator. It was odd to think that it was the longest conversation she had ever held with anyone in her entire life. Not even the Commander would communicate for such an extended period outside of what he referred to as "pleasantries." She couldn't say sincerely that she was sorry that the conversation was over; that flare of emotion had nearly blown her over towards the end.

She had very little experience with social interaction to determine how one was to behave in public. Rei's upbringing was, for lack of a better word, spartan on how one had to present themselves in public. She was to speak when spoken to, answer questions when they were directed at her, be respectful to her elders and to her teacher. And Rei had followed all of these instructions perfectly for as long as she could remember. It was an ingrained function that if the Commander placed a gun in her hand and told her,

– "Put the gun in your mouth and pull the trigger" –

– then of course, she would do it without question and welcome death. She was replaceable after all.

A stray thought had occurred to her to report the outburst she had witnessed to the Commander at the first opportunity given. It went completely against what she was raised and therefore, a sign that the Third Child needed to be replaced as he was defective in some way.

But she didn't. Because she wasn't given any orders to report any wrongdoing, as Doctor Akagi had ingrained into her, and to let her elders handle any issues. She was to speak when spoken to after all, and any attempt at reporting without prompt was a complete contradiction to social expectation.

There was little in Rei's life for her to enjoy, not that she would have much time to enjoy it anyhow. She followed a daily routine of waking up, walking to school, attending classes, improving her Synch ratio and returning home promptly. Days that classes were not in session were spent in NERV headquarters and performing her Synch ratio training as expected, along with additional weapons training provided

In her moments of solitude, Rei would lay in her cot and simply think. She would think about anything that came to mind; what it would be like to live underwater, math equations that she had learned and wished to practice more, her moon and how far away it was from her window.

What was she thinking of again? Oh yes, the Third Child's outburst. His question to her had caught her off guard but didn't go against "speak when spoken to." Asking for clarification was certainly allowed, though Rei admitted to herself that she had spoken out of turn when she contradicted the Third Child on Doctor Ikari's role in the Evangelion. And to her own private horror, she contradicted him again when he declared that the Commander was – despite genetic evidence and proof – not his father. What was a father and how was one defined? If fathers protected and raised you, then did that make the Commander her father?

No. Because she knew to care for herself, not like her classmates who prattled about what their parents did in their lives and what was packed in their bentos. The Commander left her to her own devices and did not care for her physical well-being, as he clearly saw her as independent to live in her own apartment. He respected her enough to pilot the Evangelion in addition to her other role.

The Third Child's sudden change of explosive fury to quiet sadness also disarmed Rei. Were emotions that easy to fluctuate between? And then he apologized for his behavior. Apologized to her for what she witnessed. Why would he feel the need to apologize to Rei? She must have deserved to be yelled at for some reason, even if the Third Child didn't agree with that.

It was almost a relief to return to the Entry Plug and connect with her EVA again. A chance to block out the noise. Doctor Akagi had given her a phone call earlier that day to inform her that they would proceed with the next phase of testing.

Unit 00 would be tested for functionality and Rei's ability to control it would be examined as well. She would not fail or die trying.

"Commence activation." The Commander directed.

"Connecting main power to all circuits." A technician said.

"Power supply connected. Commencing activation system." Another one added.

The hum of the EVA grew louder and louder. Rei felt her heart begin to pound in her ears. Her mind became an empty slate, all walls were torn down to allow the EVA to connect with her body and soul.

"Activation voltage is approaching critical level. 0.5, 0.2…Rising."

Good. The second phase of synching would commence, she just needed to maintain her focus. Rei could feel her mind pull at something, like thin tendrils latching on. It reminded her of a plant Doctor Akagi had in her office that she was repotting, the roots straining to stick to the soil.

"Pilot has begun link up."

She could feel the pulsing of a heartbeat as the EVA was brought to life, the voices from the outside world irrelevant to what she needed to do. This was her connection, her link. And nothing was going to interfere with it.

Suddenly, the LCL turned chilly and she felt something. Felt her.

Clawing, tearing, a voiceless scream echoing in her head. Polluting the connection with hatred, malice, and vengeance. A poison that threatened to consume and devour anything and everything in its path. Something brushed against her neck and began to envelop her in a harsh embrace around her neck. Rei gasped for breath and the squeezing stopped.

Rei overheard someone in the speaker saying something, the connection was breaking. She would not allow it! She tried to focus her thoughts on the EVA, as she always did to calm herself, but she was there too.

KILL.

 _No, ignore the thought._ Rei reached inward, willing herself to maintain the bond between herself and the EVA. She would not her effects go to waste. She would rather be dead that a failure.

"The Pilot is reestablishing control!"

Rei had the sincerest wish for the technician to be silent.

The frigid poison returned, swirling in her mind. Thoughts and images blurred past her, too quickly to see. A sharp pressure clamped itself around her neck, growing tighter by the moment. Her lungs began to strain in an effort to bring in air that would not come in. Her hands gripped against the controls, concentrating on only that. It seemed to work, Rei didn't feel as though she were suffocating as greatly as before, but it was still difficult to breath.

 _...little bitch!_

 _A look of pure hatred looking down on her._

Replaceable. She was replaceable. If this failed, then she would be replaced. For a fleeting moment, Rei felt something engulf her like a cloud. Her body went stiff and the grip on the controls weakened considerably. She couldn't blink, couldn't think, couldn't act. It wouldn't make a difference or remove the sense of helplessness she felt. Then a stray image came to her.

 _I'm sorry..._

A strange warmth engulfed her. Somehow, Rei found strength again and regained movement. She couldn't make out the voices from the outside, but they sounded positive. Almost gleeful. They melded together like a song without words, and she could only make out one thing in the end.

"Unit 00 has been activated."

Rei let out a breath that she did not realize she was holding and blinked. She rubbed her neck tentatively and found that the pressure was no longer there. She could feel bruises beginning to form.

"First Child, do you hear me?" The Commander's voice came through the speakers. She must have been asked a question. Rei paused a moment, swallowing twice.

"Yes," she whispered obediently, "I can hear you."

Without another word, the test continued.

 **0-0**

"...so when Ritsu saw Pen-Pen, she threw her hands in the air and did this!" Misato jumped out of her chair and began screaming in a high-pitched voice while hopping from one foot to the next. Hiro, who looked like he was being filled with helium, finally sputtered and burst into laughter. Misato joined him not long after while Tadashi quietly chuckled at the sight.

"And that's...and that's..." Misato wheezed after the laughter died down, "And that's why Ritsuko hasn't accepted a dinner invitation since then." She stroked Pen-Pen's head, "Her loss, though. Serves her right for calling you a nuisance."

Pen-Pen gave a cry in response before nuzzling against his master's hand in content.

It was a pleasant feeling, Tadashi decided, to be able to talk about something with Misato without treading into uncomfortable subjects. She turned out to be a wealth for hilarious stories to tell during her time in college. It was like someone had turned on a faucet inside of her all the way and let out all the words she'd been keeping in.

Misato seemed to talk about anything she could come up with; food she had eaten, movies she had watched, friends she had made. It was interesting to hear how she had met one of her co-workers at NERV at the same university they attended.

"How could someone hate something this cute?" Hiro asked incredulously, pointing to Pen-Pen for emphasis.

"She has cats," said Misato in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Ah. Makes sense," replied Hiro in the same tone.

As one of the proud owners of a male calico, Tadashi had no choice but to agree with Ritsuko's line of argument. Even though he had a hard time keeping himself from interacting with Pen-Pen all day.

"Where did you even get Pen-Pen?" Hiro asked.

Misato pursed her lips at this and a thoughtful look appeared on her face, "I found him, no one wanted him, so I took him home with me and never looked back."

"What? There's a pet store that sells penguins that can handle summer heat around here?" Hiro smirked, his voice dripping with that sarcastic tone that Tadashi knew all too well.

Pen-Pen bristled – or at least, it looked like he bristled – at the question, wiggled out of Misato's arms, and marched back into his refrigerator. He gave one last piercing look at them all before he opened the door to his little house and closed it behind him.

Tadashi wiped the sweat from his brow. It was a tricky adjustment to the weather in Japan with its eternal summer. San Franksokyo may have been warm, but it was manageable. His stomach rumbled unpleasantly, like something was gnawing at it from the inside. It felt acidic. He would have to remember to have Baymax look him over in private; it would do no good to worry Hiro or Misato with everything on their plates.

His ears perked up on something Misato was saying,

"...we were thinking of performing an activation test like Rei did a few days ago..."

Hiro sounded nervous, "I thought it was going to take months."

"The Commander expressed his opinion that you made enough progress with your Synch Ratio for the next step. I'm sorry, but my hands are tied."

If he wasn't feeling ill, Tadashi would have been happy with the image of Ikari being throttled thoroughly. He wiped the sweat from his face again, certain that the air conditioning was on.

"I...I guess it can't be that hard..." said Hiro in a lighter tone, though there was an edge of resignation in his words.

"You'll do fine. You made great progress in a month!" Misato beamed, clearly trying to cheer him up, "I bet Asuka would be jealous."

"Who's Asuka?"

Tadashi chose at this point to abruptly rise, his mouth filling with bile. He tried to make his way to the bathroom, but stumbled on something and crashed to the floor.

"Tadashi?" He could hear Hiro's voice, risen in panic. Tadashi waved him off and tried standing up again. It felt like he was standing on a spinning top losing speed. His face grew hot and sweat beaded around his face rapidly. He spreads his arms out on both sides, attempting to regain balance. Muscles cramp in his arms, his legs, and his head. No! Not now! Not here! Sour bile builds in his mouth; his first instinct is to rush to the bathroom, but he can barely move and feels his stomach relieve lunch barely an hour old. Tadashi made out Misato's voice, but he can't interpret the words. Hiro's small frame was on his left not a moment later, heaving his brother up as best as he could. Misato's support came at his right, and Tadashi could feel the muscles on her arms.

"Ow!" Hiro shouts and there was the registering of beep! beep! beep! and something inflating. White fills what little vision he has.

"Hello, I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. I was alerted to the need for medical attention when you said, 'ow!'"

Hiro ignored Misato's small gasp and asked the robot, "Tadashi's sick, can you scan him?"

Just as he said this, sirens filled the air. Tadashi didn't know what that meant, but dread filled his heart. At the same time, his head seemed to squeeze tighter and he let out a weak cry of pain.

"Tadashi, what's wrong?" Hiro's voice rose in panic again, his breath quickening as the sirens grew louder. Someone's voice could be heard through speakers, telling residents to evacuate to their designated shelters.

"This is not a drill. Repeat. This is not a drill."

"Hiro, get in the car. We're going to headquarters." Tadashi suddenly felt himself thrown over Misato's shoulder and knew he was being carried out the door.

"W-why? What's going on? We need to get Tadashi to a doctor!"

"We can bring him to the infirmary when we get to NERV, now do as I say and get in the car!" Misato's voice was sharp and professional, a strong contrast from a minute ago.

"Can you at least tell me what's with the sirens?!" Hiro raised his voice over the alarms going off.

Misato's voice was grim, "Don't you see? It's finally happened. After fifteen years, the Angels have returned."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : So glad I got this finished before the year was up. Rei's POV was certainly better than I had hoped. Thank you for your patience, please continue the support in 2020. Don't forget to review and never forget to dress warmly.

 **Asuka:** When the hell will _I_ get into the story?!

 **Me:** Soon, Asuka. I promise. You're a main character too, I swear.


End file.
